by John Zenoni
In 2016, the first ‘Don’t Breathe’ was released and became a surprise critical and commercial success. It was a film made for approximately $10 million and ended up grossing $158 million overall. The storyline was about a blind, former military man who lived alone and a story got out about him winning a major settlement after the death of his only child. Three local thieves hear about this and decide to break into his house to rob him. Needless to say, they underestimated the blind man, played by Stephen Lang, and wind up getting more than they bargained for by the end of the film. But one can’t forget that the Blind Man is not completely innocent himself - he kidnapped the woman who killed his daughter, imprisoned her in his basement, and impregnated her in order to replace the daughter he lost - thus making him more of a villain than a hero in the film.
In the latest entry, ‘Don’t Breathe 2’, it's eight years later and the blind man now has a young woman living with him, who goes by the name of Phoenix (played by Madelyn Grace). She was found by the blind man after a house fire and he cradled her and took her to his home and has been raising and taking care of her since then. But on a trip to town, Phoenix encounters a strange man who begins to follow her. Before long, the home is invaded and the blind man goes into action.
While there is a strong performance again from Lang as the blind man, as well as by Grace, and some good action and suspenseful moments, the movie itself is not as good as it’s predecessor. It's a rather odd sequel in how it follows up to the original film. They practically have nothing in common with each other as far as the story and it almost feels forced in many ways. In my opinion, this film is definitely a rental.
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