A New Twist on Home Invasion

Rating: 7/10 (28 November 2016)

Hoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man (Stephen Lang) who isn't as helpless as he seems.
Those who are going in to see "Don't Breathe" should do so with as little knowledge as possible. You can know it is a horror film in the "home invasion" subgenre. You can know there is a twist (the back of the box reveals as much). But you should not know what that twist is, and only know that even in a world full of movie twists, this one may be unexpected.
Not knowing anything, I thought maybe this would be like a modern retelling of "Wait Until Dark". It is nothing like that at all. And because I knew it was a home invasion story with a twist, I immediately thought of "Shut In", the recent film starring Rory Culkin. It isn't really like that, either, beyond some superficial similarities.
The film's biggest weakness comes in the first fifteen minutes. We are given a somewhat sympathetic view of our burglars, and one that seems off. All three leads have a presence in the modern history of horror, being in such films as "Goosebumps" and "It Follows". But here, they are most effective as burglars rather than as tragic figures. At no point was I on the side of Rocky because of her troubled childhood. Maybe other viewers will approach the film differently, but I don't see personal problems as an excuse to victimize other people.
After those initial fifteen minutes, the attempt at character development stops and the film really goes into high gear. We get plenty of tense scenes, over-the-top violence, and moments that call to mind the "Saw" series or "The Collector" (though this film never goes as far as the so-called torture porn aspects of either of those other two). Whether you are rooting for our protagonists or not (I wasn't), you can't help but be strapped in for the remainder of the ride.
I must address the praise from the box. Forbes says the movie has "the best twist in years", which I may or may not agree with, but cannot deny that there are parts that surprise even the most hardened viewer. I do, however, take issue with the quote from Jim Hemphill, calling this the "best American horror film in twenty years". Ignoring what defines "American" (the writer-director is from Uruguay and the film was made in Hungary), is this really the best horror film since 1996? Hemphill was not quoted out of context; this is really what he thinks.
I can comfortably call "Don't Breathe" one of the best horror films of the last decade. I could even say it is possibly the best horror film of 2016, but a few others (such as "The Unseen" or "The Witch") could edge it out. But the best of all the horror films since 1996? Off the top of my head, "It Follows" is a better film. "House of the Devil" is better, as well. Some would probably argue that "Blair Witch" was better, or at the very least more influential. Again, I'm not trying to say "Don't Breathe" isn't a strong horror film (it is), but Hemphill is probably in the minority.
The Blu-ray, out now from Sony, brings the film to your home looking and sounding great. There are also eight deleted scenes, five behind-the-scenes featurettes on the cast, crew, set and sound. And if you're into the stories behind the movie itself, there is a feature-length commentary with the director (Fede Alvarez), writer (Rodo Sayagues) and star Stephen Lang.