DON’T BREATHE

Directed by: Fede Alvarez

Starring by: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minette, Daniel Zovatto

Production: Ghost House Picture

Last week the occupants in Pondok Indah resident was shocked by two guys who breaking in to one house and hostage the whole family who lives in it. By coincidence, I was there - at precise time of the captor did - because I’d been picked up my friend, who live nearby, to go to Bandung in order to attend our teacher’s wed. 


The presence of a burglar often scares us because we felt threatened, but have you ever think from the burglar’s side that breaking in to other people’s house sometimes scares them a lot as well?

Three bunch of guys in Detroit, Rocky, Alex, and Money doing their secret life as petty burglars, breaking in into luxury home by disabling their security system and stole many stuff in there. But Money didn’t satisfied with the money and Rocky need lots of money to take her sister, Didi, to go to California. 

So when they found out about a house which lived by an old man that received more than $ 300.000 in cash stashed somewhere in that house they pursued Alex to break through.

They stalk the neighborhood and found out that the old man staying in the house alone and the fact he’s blind. The only trouble might come from his ferocious dog. But with drugs inside the meat they succeed to knocked the dog up and enter the house easily. Money went upstairs, gasses the old man in his bedroom to knock him as well.             

The three find a locked door that leads to the basement. They think this is where the money will be put by the old man. Money failed to break down the door with crowbar so pull out his gun. The old man wakes up and the fact that he’s an ex military from Gulf’s war so he could grabs the gun from Money’s hand then kills him instantly.

You could see the mistake on this scene, when Money shot down and falls on the floor with his head clearly turned to the right but on the next scene where the old man dragged him Money’s head turned to the left.

Money answered the man that he came alone but the house owner finally found pair of shoes that belongs to Rocky and Alex by its smell, so he realized then that there were other else in the house so he started to hunt ‘em down. After they had what they looking for - the old man’s money - Alex and Rocky tried to get out the house unto the basement because the old man locked every door at ground floor.

Both found a girl that being kidnapped in that basement, it was rich young girl that killed the old man’s daughter with car accident, the incident that finally make the old man had lots of money, and when they untie the girl, the bell which connected to her bound alarmed the house owner who thwart their escape.       

The old man attend to replace the rich young girl who died on the basement when he shoot those intruder for being escaped with Rocky. It turned out he seeks a host for his seed so he could get new baby to replace his died daughter. He cut the girl’s pants but before he managed to inject the sperm, Alex bumps the blind man’s head with hammer and saved Rocky.

Alex give an advice to call the cops for kidnapping of the young rich girl and left the money behind but Rocky refused and stick to the plan to keep the money. Too bad the blind man was able to release the cuff and shot Alex. A Christian lore said that the devil sit on your left shoulder and angel on your right, you could see that symbolic in this movie…Money which symbolize the devil was on left side of Rocky when he died, on contrary Alex was on her right.

But there’s another goofs when Rocky was trying to escape from the blind man’s dog. When she pull out the robe on the trunk you could see there’s no cut on her pants whereas being done by the old man at previous scene.

You have to see the movie till the end because it will raised your tense again and again…seemed like there’s no end at all…especially with the dog’s attack or the blind man that apparently very hard to kill. I think he’s got level as good as Rambo to survive. In the end reporter said that the house owner still alive while two burglars that breaking into his house were found dead. 

It was murdered for self defense...as said...whaddaya think if blind old man had to face the invasion of two strong young men? I'm sure you will choose to be on the blind old man's side, right?  

But I think there’s mistake made there...if the blind man could find Rocky’s shoes how come the police missed it? Otherwise the old man didn’t have time to get rid of it because he was busy chasing Alex and Rocky, right?          

What make this movie interesting is not just the thriller and genuine idea that scaring people can really do with an ordinary character like the blind old man, but also the fact none of character was innocent or pure heart. Every character has flaws and their trying to make the best of a bad situation.

The blind man just doing what must be done to defending his home from thieves who trying to steal his money, but behind that he’s also had sin by kidnapping the woman that killed his only daughter and forcing her to have his child. 

On the other hand, Rocky tried to rob the blind army’s veteran because she wanted to take his sister to have better life in California and out from their dysfunctional family. 

While Alex, I think he’s actually good boy and didn’t like breaking into someone else houses, but only because he has a heart on Rocky and tried to take attention of the girl, then he followed Rocky and her boyfriend, Money, perform the action.

No body’s perfect…everyone has flaw….but the development of good stories of each flaw character able to make this film humanly, similar to life that we lived in right now.