Movie Review: Don’t Breathe..chokes you, but not relentlessly so

That’s the challenge with hype. Your expectations become so sky-high, that whatever you watch, it ends up falling short. Even if it’s a perfectly good movie, it doesn’t quite reach the summit your expectations set for it. Don’t Breathe falls squarely in that category.

Ok firstly, Don’t Breathe is not a horror movie – at least not the ghoul/ spirit/ ghost type. It is what can be called survival horror – in the vein of say Panic Room or even the Saw series. That said, its one of the better made films in recent times especially for this genre.

Right from the start, you get to see that the director is in no hurry to rush things. The camera takes its time, roving all over the house, resting ever so slightly on objects of importance, filling you with a sense of dread on what you can expect to follow in the course of its short runtime of a little less than 2 hours. The build up thereon is good with some scenes that particularly jolt you and leave you gasping for breath while others make you want to hold it.

However, after setting up such a great premise, you can’t help but get the feeling that the movie could’ve done a lot more with what it had built. An over-reliance on gunplay, a missed opportunity in a pitch black room and a weirdly twisted logic for how the proceedings unfold are a few of the chinks in the armor of Don’t Breathe that prevent it from being truly spectacular. After the main ordeal, which itself swings like a pendulum, there is another side track, but by then your attention is bound to have dissipated away.

The camerawork and background score (if you can call it that, most of it is masterful silence) are exquisite and lift the movie considerably. The plotline on the other hand, is wafer thin and the treatment is such that it really doesn’t require major acting chops other than the ability to literally hold one’s breath for fear of giving something away. Needless to say, all lead actors do a decent job of it.

If you really want to enjoy Don’t Breathe, don’t even take a peak at the trailer. It pretty much gives up everything of note and leaves very little to the imagination which is a pity because there is much to appreciate in Don’t Breathe. The movie provides some genuine thrills, that you are bound to enjoy, irrespective of whether you are a fan of the genre or not. However, what this movie misses out on is a relentless chokehold on its audience – on the lines of a No Country for Old Men, Panic Room and even our own NH 10, refusing to let go till the oxygen levels begin to drop and you feel subdued and numbed.

In any case, Don’t Breathe is definitely a hall worthy experience so you shouldn’t think twice about booking your tickets – just keep your expectations in check and you should come out pretty satisfied and maybe gasping for a bit of air.