Every fight in this movie looks like it hurts. Lang is also outstanding at portraying Norman’s physicality, and he throws his entire weight behind every hit the character gets and gives. The scenes are uniquely lit and staged, both in Norman’s house and out of it, with slow, purposeful camera work that puts extra emphasis on the weight behind each punch and stab. These action scenes are where Sayagues proves himself most capable. But the sequel is closer to an action movie, with Norman and his assailants trading blows at every confrontation. It’s incredibly intense, before it’s broken up by the relief of Norman’s first real action in the movie - though many more follow.ĭon’t Breathe plays out like a slasher, with the teens as the main characters, and Norman as the ruthlessly efficient hunter. Sayagues snakes the cameras through the narrow hallways, carefully dodging between Phoenix’s stealthy escape, and the bewildered intruders trying to find her. In one particularly effective scene, Phoenix tries to escape the house just as the would-be kidnappers arrive.
Sayagues creates exceptional tension, comfortably exploiting long stretches of quiet, and letting characters creep into and out of otherwise static shots. Like the first movie, Don’t Breathe 2 is at its creepiest when all of its characters are trapped inside Norman’s house.
He homeschools her and teaches her survival skills, but after eight years, a mysterious group of people come to his house to kidnap Phoenix, setting him up to once again defend his home from intruders. In the sequel, Norman finds a young girl named Phoenix (Madelyn Grace) outside of a burning house, and takes her in as his daughter. His horrific actions hang around Don’t Breathe 2 like an albatross for the first hour or so, as the new story continues to follow him. Norman’s resentment of the intruders may be understandable, but he does reprehensible things in the film, making choices that don’t allow for later redemption. They don’t realize he’s an ex-Navy Seal who’s angry at the world for his daughter’s tragic, accidental death, and he turns their attempted robbery into a nightmare cat-and-mouse scenario. The first Don’t Breathe follows a group of teenagers who break into the home of blind veteran Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) to steal his small fortune. And more importantly, it’s hard not to imagine all of the better things rookie director Rodo Sayagues, who also co-wrote this movie and the original, could have made with ingredients this good. Is it enjoyable? Yes, but it’s also gross and morally questionable. Don’t Breathe 2, the newly released follow-up to 2016’s horror-thriller directed by Fede Alvarez, is like a sloppy Joe made with finely aged wagyu beef.
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