The movie features Dylan Minnette as Alex, the son of a security company owner who often “borrows” his father’s keys to rob his clients with Rocky (Jane Levy) and her bad boy boyfriend Money (Daniel Zovatto). Initially they’re careful. They break into homes when the owners aren’t there and stick to stealing luxury items rather than cash to avoid larceny charges. However, when Money finds out that one of Alex’s dad’s clients scored a $300,000 settlement, he insists that they up their game and go for the money. Alex isn’t thrilled about it, but the homeowner is a blind army veteran. How hard could it be to sneak in and out?
The trio certainly has no idea what they’re walking into and it’s unlikely that any written description of what goes down in that house can truly reflect the intensity of the thrills and violence. If you’ve seen Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake, it’s probably no surprise that the director doesn’t hold back. The Don’t Breathe narrative certainly doesn’t call for graphic, over the top deadite-style gore, but the more grounded nature of the brutality makes the material far more horrifying.
The man played by Stephen Lang might be blind, but that doesn’t mean he’s at a disadvantage. In fact, not only is his home fortified for such a robbery but if someone happens to get inside, he’s more than capable of tracking them down and killing them. Between Lang’s incredible physical performance and Alvarez’s haunting camerawork, the blind man quickly becomes downright nightmarish. He’s extremely strong, knows how to navigate the home more swiftly than visitors who can see where they’re going and has some very effective back-up, a snarling dog eager to go to great lengths to catch his targets. This isn’t a haunted house story, but Alvarez quickly establishes that Lang could be anywhere, turning the location into a deeply terrifying place where a threat could sneak up on you in a flash.
