Fede Alvarez hasn't had much of a resumé other than his 2013 barely above average gorefest blockbuster remake "Evil Dead". So, when trailers for a new and fresh film known as "Don't Breathe" surfaced, horror fans became interested. Reviews have flooded in claiming the film was "artfully terrifying" (Brad Wheeler from Globe and Mail) and "...visually resourceful" (David Edelstein from New York Magazine). Rotten Tomatoes labels the film "Certified Fresh" with an 87% rating, a green rating on Metacritic holding a 71, and an 8.2/10 on IMDb. So, does this film really hold up to its reviews?
QUICK SYNOPSIS: Rocky, Alex, and Money are delinquent small crime thieves who are hellbent on leaving Detroit. After being given an anonymous tip, the three set out to rob a blind Vietnam Army Veteran after learning he has $300,000 set aside somewhere in the house. They successfully break in at the wee hours of the morning, but awaken the blind man in the process. And unfortunately for the trio, he knows his way around his house; he also knows how to defend himself. Will the trio make it out alive?
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PROS: This film did what no other film has done before. Alvarez did an exceptional job at reminding the audience that even though the film followed a certain group of people, there was no straight up protagonist or antagonist. Both sides of the conflict were never innocent, and the film made sure you knew that. In no other film has that been expressed, and it was a great twist to the horror genre.
Alongside that, the plot was coherent and unpredictable. Even if you think you know where it is going, you don't. Unpredictability is something rare from movies in general these days, and it's fascinating to see that rare of an element in a film such as this. The acting was great, although nothing Oscar worthy by any stretch of the imagination.
The way the movie was filmed made my skin crawl at times. Don't Breathe never built up its fear factor off of jump scares or gore, but off of pure tension and mystery. Nothing today does that. This is another factor that makes Don't Breathe so unique.
CONS: As a horror fan and a movie goer in general, I can't find a bad thing to say about this movie. This movie was pure horrific perfection.
CONCLUSION: In all honesty, I can't even express in writing or words how great this movie was. Don't Breathe didn't try to be the next big horror movie. This is an instant horror classic, and I would suggest this to any horror fan looking for a fantastic thrilling horror film.
FINAL RATING: 10/10
