Don't Breathe

(2016)

A trio of hooligans break into a blind man's home to rob him of the $300,000 settlement he received after his daughter was killed by a drunk driver. The ringleader known as Money is a cold, calculating bastard with no conscience or trace of human decency. Rocky is equally abhorrent, but she gets away with it because she’s an attractive blonde. She has aspirations of moving to California with her sister to escape the hell that is her home life. And then there’s Alex, the doofus whose father owns the home security business that they exploit for their burglary targets. Though he is presented as the most moral of the three, I had zero sympathy for his wishy-washiness and I yearned for his death from the moment he was introduced. "Guys, are you sure this is a good idea? Well... ok, I guess." That's not verbatim but it is the gist of his character.

It turns out the blind man is a war veteran who knows a thing or two about defending himself and killing people. The 3 burglars quickly realize that they're in way over their heads and the rest of the film focuses on them trying to escape with their lives. Awesome premise, right? I shoveled popcorn in my mouth with eager anticipation to see some Seagal-style street justice.

Is it wrong to hope that the blind man kills the intruders? After all they are the ones who invaded his territory. My one major complaint is the forced attempt to make the veteran a despicable person in his own right by means of a completely unnecessary and borderline absurd plot development. In spite of this (and the annoying characters) Don’t Breathe is unquestionably entertaining from start to finish. Fede Alvarez also directed the barely memorable Evil Dead remake. This raises his horror street cred by 13%. Keep an eye on this guy.