Don't Breathe 2

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Don't Breathe 2 is a sequel to 2016's Don't Breathe, following The Blind Man's life after the events of the first film. The film series continues with its muddied moral narrative and characters; we see The Blind man is a father again to young Phoenix. Phoenix is a sheltered kid kept apart from the outside world and subjected to the somewhat dubious parental instincts of her 'father'. However, when a bloodthirsty gang breaks into our protagonists' home and upends the lie linking the Blind Man to Phoenix, this father/daughter relationship will truly be put to the test. I think the core concept in this film of flipping The Blind Man from violent antagonist, to victim to protagonist was a fairly creative direction to go in. The cinematography for this feature is why this film is worth seeing, every action piece or new setting is really creatively captured. Visually this was a slasher that really tried out new elements consistently and I commend it for that.

 

Stephen Lang, who played the Blind Man, really knows how to inhabit this very warped character; Lang brings such cold intensity and wild fury to this role that he commands your attention in his scenes.

 

However, the best performance came from Madelyn Grace, who played Phoenix. It is a rare occasion for the youngest performer in a film to be the standout of the cast, but there's no competition here. Grace handles scenes with a mature talent that highlights her range and ability to navigate the truth of a scene. When first we meet Phoenix she is this lonely kid, very capable but lacking a real sense of childhood. Grace really plays to the roles yearning for friends and joy, while at the same time contrasting this with an unnaturally adept skill at warding off intimidating men. Watching this character go through the complicated journey of discovering her father is actually her kidnapper and that her real parents only want her back to steal vital organs from her is a dark story. The way Grace really hits the mark by depicting that betrayal, heartbreak and anger is undeniably masterful and one of the main reasons to watch this film.

The first Don't Breathe had the advantage of being a very disarming film that could really show off how unique its concept could get as the action moved along. Whereas this film doesn't have the same advantage, in fact what we watch is yet another home invasion film. The invaders this time are better equipped but that doesn't really change the nature of the action; at first the Blind Man surprises them with how adept he is, then the tables turn a couple of times in either direction until the protagonist ultimately wins. The only thing here is that this time the protagonist is the Blind Man. Which is a tough pill to swallow at any given point of the film. As a direct sequel you can't help but remember this guy was artificially inseminating women against their will in the first feature, this time around his daughter is actually someone he has kidnapped. Yet the film is dogged in its attempt to paint him as the one we're rooting for over the antagonist. Granted the antagonists want to harvest organs from a kid, but as villains they're quite over the top and also not very interesting. The film tears itself in two trying to keep with its theme of showcasing characters with murky ethics. The editing lends quite a dull pace, which can really drag out those tense scenes or high stakes action sequences. The score is practically non-existent, just another factor that is doing no work towards creating tone or atmosphere for the feature.

Brendan Sexton III, who played Raylan, falls short as the main antagonist for this feature; he is never intimidating nor are you really deceived by his portrayal of being a father figure to Grace's Phoenix. Adam Young, Rocci Boy Williams, Christian Zagia and Bobby Schofield, who played Jim-Bob, Duke, Raul and Jared respectively, are extremely generic henchmen figures; these individuals are there to be punched or stabbed at but don't stand up as characters. Fiona O'Shaughnessy, who played Josephine, is very out there as one of the surprise antagonists; she goes immediately over the top at portraying the deranged mother intent on killing her own kid. Stephanie Arcila, who played Hernandez, is a character who really doesn't serve much purpose in this film; a sort of ally figure to the protagonists she is killed off before she ever really serves any true narrative value.

While this is a horror sequel lacking in substance it is certainly a visual successor to its predecessor. I would give Don't Breathe 2 a 4.5/10.