Film review: 'Don't Breathe'

"Don't Breathe" is not a film for the faint of heart. But if a well-made horror flick tickles your fancy, this movie won't leave you laughing. It's the stuff of which nightmares are made.

In the opening scene, a hunched figure drags a girl by her hair down a deserted street. It's a glimpse followed by a flashback, and already your pulse is racing. 

Set in present day, decimated Detroit, the plot plays out as three young thieves plan their next home invasion. Seems there's a blind veteran living alone with a stash of cash on the premises. For Rocky (Jane Levy), it will be the last gig. She's ready to make her California dreaming a reality. Boyfriend, Money (Daniel Zovatto), likes the thrill, while Alex (Dylan Minnett) is a reluctant participant with a crush on Rocky.

What should have been a piece of cake becomes a gruesome nightmare when the vet (Stephen Lang) turns out to be a fearlessly determined psychopath with a Rottweiler. With a melange of twists and turns, the plot thickens as the blood flows freely.

Writer-director Fede Alverez ("Evil Dead") has aptly titled this taut thriller, which is shot mainly within the confines of a dark house. Most of the time, the invaders are within inches of the rabid resident. Their hands are constantly covering their mouths as their eyes are ever-bulging. As floorboards creak, suppressed screams are stifled. Alvarez's Steadicam is often poised pulling away from the action which accentuates the danger lurking around every corner. It's intensely spooky.

Veteran character Stephen Lang could not have been better cast as this overly disturbing character. His opaque eyes and pumped physique are as threatening as it gets. In close-ups, it's difficult not to avert your eyes from the screen. He brilliantly manages to take creepy to a whole new level.

There are scads of pin-dropping moments in this delicious thriller that never lets you come up for air.

"Don't Breathe" is a bit like "Wait Until Dark"— on steroids. It gets even better; the scent of sequel permeates the closing shot.