Alvarez made some things you won't see coming...

Rating: 7/10 (4 May 2020)

"Don't Breathe" is a 2016 horror thriller directed by Fede Alvarez starring Jane Levy and Stephen Lang. In the first few minutes I was bothering my head about where I know the lead actress from and after I could not find a solution to my overthinking, I paused it and had to look it up. After this short break I found out that I knew her from "Evil Dead" and furthermore realised that this film was produced by the team behind said remake (e.g. Sam Raimi) and even was directed by the same director as well. Then I knew I was in for something for some hard stuff. Surprisingly, this film is the total opposite of the gore fest that the remake is and went into a more realistic and thriller type of horror film instead. Afterwards I learned that Alvarez came up with the idea for this film on the basis of the heavy criticism he received for his previous feature, mostly for the fact that he allegedly used only gallons of blood to shock the audience. Therefore he came up with the idea for this film and I think he successfully proved that he is capable of doing something completely different as well. The film's concept is basically simple: Teenagers break into an old man's house to steal his hidden fortune. Sounds simple? It is, but one may justifiably ask: How does the horror come into the picture then? The horror in this case is something you will not see coming at all. I wasn't either. I was mildly underwhelmed but simultaneously heavily impressed that the film passed on using any form of paranormal or supernatural horror and approaches its premise with extreme realism instead. It is mostly created by the haunting tension and the characters' constant fear of getting caught that also gradually begins to infest the viewer as well. All of this happens due to the development of both the characters and the story. Speaking of which, the main characters are one of the main reasons of this movie's success, because you can't really tell who plays what role. The three burglars might be the apparent protagonists of the film, but there are some major reasons that make it extremely hard to consider them the heroes of the story. Even though their motivation to rob a man is the simple desire to leave their hometown of Detroit and especially their dysfunctional families and start a new life from the money they are hoping to heist, it doesn't change the fact that they are illegally stealing from a blind, old war veteran who received the money as a settlement from people who killed his only beloved daughter in a car accident. Thus, the definition of who is the hero and who is the villain is in limbo in the beginning and I think how it deals with this question in the process is one of the film's most brilliant aspects. It is undeniable that the actions of Rocky and company are morally questionable and are obviously not the right solution for their problem, but it is hard to judge them completely, given their current troubled life situation. In a weird way it makes them authentic and human. Except for that complete moron Money, I felt extreme sympathy for both Rocky and Alex. The same applies to the blind man with no mentioned name. Imagine you served your country and return scarred and marked from combat and the only real joy in your life is the close relationship to your only daughter who eventually dies in a car accident and the only thing that is supposed to compensate her life is an enormous amount of money. Just imagine that is what is left of your miserable life and then some greedy teenagers try to steal that from you as well. Wouldn't you be upset about this as well? As written in stone as it may sound, the film ingeniously manages to let this conception crumble with enough shocking twists and your perception about all the characters shifts immensely in the process. The story is another of the film's biggest advantages. Despite the absence of any paranormal threat, it definitely doesn't lack the tension that is needed in this kind of movie and it undoubtedly takes a lot of creativity to create a certain suspense in such a limited setting all the while trying to stay true to the intended realism. The outcome is without a doubt appreciable. What I feared to see was the lack of inventiveness, but this film fortunately is anything but repetitive (except for a few aspects) and hauntingly rich in variety and thus offers a lot of innovation for this genre. Another thing that makes this film differ from other entries it is how it allows the threat to only creep in slowly. In the beginning I was thinking "What kind of damage might a blind and old man probably do to three healthy teenagers with a gun?" and it shocked me what this man could do despite of his disadvantage. Not only does he have a canine companion that does a lot of work for him, the house the three trespassers are trapped in is still his own territory after all. He learned to live in it despite his missing vision. Just like our protagonist I underestimated his hidden abilities and thus he is an actual threat. The film mostly follows Rocky, superbly portrayed by Jane Levy, and focuses on her as she tries to remain silent and find a way out of the death trap. Like in her first collaboration with Alvarez, she is one of the main factors why this film works out so well. Once again, she shows how talented she is and especially masters the eye game again. Her performance impressively captures the silent terror of this flick and thus brings the horror into effect, in other words, it made me hold my breath for most of the runtime. In the following sequences her fight for survival is the focus and there are several ideas incorporated that exacerbate the whole situation tremendously. Just before you thought she is on the brink of finally escaping her certain death there is something else that thwarts her flight and traps her even more in the house. It is not only the whole atmosphere, but also the antagonist that heavily reminded me of "Resident Evil 7" and gave me similar vibes. In some instances, it was sadly predictable and kept me from being surprised, but aside from this it had enough unforeseen features that made it up for it (two words: night vision!). Next to the striking resemblance to the 2017 Koshi Nakanishi game it also pays tribute to classic horror films, such as "Cujo" (obviously) and supposedly even "The Silence Of The Lambs" (can't tell it in the case of the latter, still have to see it), but allegedly the final reveal is not inferior to the Johnathan Demme classic in terms of how disturbing it is. The blind man keeping the girl who killed his daughter as a hostage and forcing her to bear him a new child? Whatever the director was smoking lead him to a decision that is nothing short of absolutely gross and had an unsettling effect on me. The fact that his behaviour and desperate measures made sense in an insane way didn't make it easier for me. With this devastating realization the movie gains even more tension, as the inconspicuous and innocent man turns out to be an even more dangerous and indescribably threatening maniac. Until the end, he doesn't seem to be willing to stop until he is getting what he desires. Even after the bloodcurdling final act where is defeated and presumably dead, he turns out to be still alive. That leaves me wondering if he is human or actually not something more instead. Another thing I consider to be remarkable is how Rocky managed to escape with the stolen money and starts a new life on a undeniably nefarious basis. Stolen money remains to be stolen money, no matter what kind of pervert is the legitimate owner. It is interesting how the finale subtly establishes her as an antihero and convicts neither the protagonist nor the antagonist for their felonies and thus places both on the same level. Just a small detail, but not less brilliant. All in all, this flick is a surprisingly innovative and intense thriller that establishes its horror with a realistic approach and passes on paranormal factor completely. Admittedly, the film did not impress that much shortly after the credits have rolled, but the more I thought about it the more I was able to take in the ingeniousness that lies out of sight but in hidden details. Furthermore, I enjoyed the character constellation and the personalities behind each and everyone and consider Jane Levy's performance to be a critical factor for this film's success (aside from the dog who is the real MVP) and it makes me kind of sad that she is not starring in any bigger films. In my opinion, she absolutely deserves more recognition. This film is without a doubt original, innovative, and packing, in other words everything a movie of that genre needs. It was indeed a creative venture, but it eventually pays off, as it turns out to be something of its own. Oh, and before I forget: Now that I have seen both Levy/Alvarez collaborations and felt strong "Resident Evil" vibes in both, I think it would be a perfect job for him to make a proper adaptation with Levy in the leading role, as she would make an ideal Jill Valentine. With Raimi as the producer, a man who is experienced in this genre and a talented and charismatic lead actress, what could go wrong then? It surely could not be worse than the Anderson abominations. Just saying. Anyway, this film might not be ground-breaking, but is a surprisingly entertaining and decent thriller.