Ralph Potts reviews this thriller about three young thieves that wind up in the fight for their lives after breaking into the home of a blind man who has a dark side.
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
92
Details:
Studio and Year: Sony Pictures - 2016
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 88 minutes
Genre: Thriller/Horror/Suspense
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Music by: Roque Banos
Written by: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: November 29, 2016
"This House Looked Like an Easy Target…."
My Take:
Starring Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto and Stephen Lang, Don’t Breathe follows a trio of young burglars that have been on a spree of successful break ins. When they become aware of a local war veteran, that through tragedy, came into a large sum of cash, they target his home, located in a desolate part of town. Everything seems to be going according to plan until they discover that this victim is anything but. Things quickly unravel and they find a reversal of roles and dark secrets lay in wait within the confines of his dwelling. What began as a question of how much they would walk away with became a question of, will they walk away at all?
At the suggestion of a friend, I took my wife to see Don’t Breathe when it was in the theater. Narrow in scope, and teeming with atmosphere, and suspense, this is an engaging, genre bending thriller, that grabs hold early on and doesn’t let up. After brief introductions of the trio of thieves, it sets the stage for their big score, which includes a glimpse of the victim. Things start out well but it soon becomes apparent that they are in over their heads. The narrative’s unraveling tale is executed so well, so as to keep you seeing only what is intended, until the moment chosen to unhinge its direction.
The cinematography and soundtrack are top notch, playing a definitive role in the proceedings. The pacing is spot on, allowing the subtext and thematic underpinnings to maintain the plot’s focus. The final moments fall prey to horror movie clichés somewhat, but I had no problem with that. I thought that the four cast members did a great job, but clearly Stephen Lang and Jane Levy were the standouts. I found Don’t Breathe every bit as compelling and entertaining during this second viewing and have added it to my collection of dark thrillers.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for terror, violence, disturbing content, and language including sexual references.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:REFERENCE= 92-100/EXCELLENT= 83-91/GOOD= 74-82/AVERAGE= 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE= under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Video: 88
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Don’t Breathe comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 23 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.5 Mbps.
This isn’t a particularly bright film but it manages to strike a good balance between the use of dark and light elements. Filtering is used to render its varying visual aesthetics as dictated by the filmmakers. Certain scenes are bathed in monochromatic/sepia/blue while others appear to use natural lighting and splashes of color. This seems to mate well thematically, and I found the visual contrast interesting. In most regards both light and dark sequences have above average depth with appreciable shadow delineation. White levels are tamped down and blacks are gradational and slightly elevated. Dynamic range is notable as brighter elements tend to have punchy highlights with visible detail. Resolution occasionally fluctuates but in most instances detail is clearly resolvable with discerning visual perspective that results in pleasing, multi-dimensional high definition video quality.
A movie like this lives or dies (no pun intended) by its soundtrack and this DTS-HD 5.1 channel is lots of fun. This is a captivating surround sound mix that features an immersive array of well-placed sound effects that pray upon your aural senses. Near field sounds are accurately placed within the sound field which gives them multi-dimensional perspective that places you right in the middle of the action. At times the room is illuminated with an array of sounds that are both directional and ambient in nature. I appreciated the attention to detail that went into creating the surround mix as it effectively replicates the environments, off camera cues, and onscreen pans featured in the film. Bass is rich, authoritative, and room energizing as it accentuates the audio’s dynamic range with palpable impact. There is lots of whispering featured in the story but dialog intelligibility is never a problem. This is a great surround sound experience that certainly made this film more enjoyable.
Bonus Features:
From the creators of Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe is a wonderfully crafted and executed multi-genre film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It comes to Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring excellent high definition video, involving DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound and a fair supplemental package that provides insights from the cast/crew. Don’t Breathe doesn’t reinvent the genre wheel but uses an intelligent approach that makes for a refreshing and entertaining film that comes recommended on Blu-ray.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS500 3D/4K Ready High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8802A 13.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player
Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and In-Ceiling series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS SB-13 Ultra (Piano Gloss finish)
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
( Max score: 100 )
92
Details:
Studio and Year: Sony Pictures - 2016
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 88 minutes
Genre: Thriller/Horror/Suspense
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Music by: Roque Banos
Written by: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: November 29, 2016
"This House Looked Like an Easy Target…."
My Take:
Starring Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto and Stephen Lang, Don’t Breathe follows a trio of young burglars that have been on a spree of successful break ins. When they become aware of a local war veteran, that through tragedy, came into a large sum of cash, they target his home, located in a desolate part of town. Everything seems to be going according to plan until they discover that this victim is anything but. Things quickly unravel and they find a reversal of roles and dark secrets lay in wait within the confines of his dwelling. What began as a question of how much they would walk away with became a question of, will they walk away at all?
At the suggestion of a friend, I took my wife to see Don’t Breathe when it was in the theater. Narrow in scope, and teeming with atmosphere, and suspense, this is an engaging, genre bending thriller, that grabs hold early on and doesn’t let up. After brief introductions of the trio of thieves, it sets the stage for their big score, which includes a glimpse of the victim. Things start out well but it soon becomes apparent that they are in over their heads. The narrative’s unraveling tale is executed so well, so as to keep you seeing only what is intended, until the moment chosen to unhinge its direction.
The cinematography and soundtrack are top notch, playing a definitive role in the proceedings. The pacing is spot on, allowing the subtext and thematic underpinnings to maintain the plot’s focus. The final moments fall prey to horror movie clichés somewhat, but I had no problem with that. I thought that the four cast members did a great job, but clearly Stephen Lang and Jane Levy were the standouts. I found Don’t Breathe every bit as compelling and entertaining during this second viewing and have added it to my collection of dark thrillers.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for terror, violence, disturbing content, and language including sexual references.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:REFERENCE= 92-100/EXCELLENT= 83-91/GOOD= 74-82/AVERAGE= 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE= under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency effects:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialog Reproduction:
- DSU/DTS Neural:X Rating * (non-rated element):
Video: 88
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black Level/Shadow Detail:
- Color Reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Don’t Breathe comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 23 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.5 Mbps.
This isn’t a particularly bright film but it manages to strike a good balance between the use of dark and light elements. Filtering is used to render its varying visual aesthetics as dictated by the filmmakers. Certain scenes are bathed in monochromatic/sepia/blue while others appear to use natural lighting and splashes of color. This seems to mate well thematically, and I found the visual contrast interesting. In most regards both light and dark sequences have above average depth with appreciable shadow delineation. White levels are tamped down and blacks are gradational and slightly elevated. Dynamic range is notable as brighter elements tend to have punchy highlights with visible detail. Resolution occasionally fluctuates but in most instances detail is clearly resolvable with discerning visual perspective that results in pleasing, multi-dimensional high definition video quality.
A movie like this lives or dies (no pun intended) by its soundtrack and this DTS-HD 5.1 channel is lots of fun. This is a captivating surround sound mix that features an immersive array of well-placed sound effects that pray upon your aural senses. Near field sounds are accurately placed within the sound field which gives them multi-dimensional perspective that places you right in the middle of the action. At times the room is illuminated with an array of sounds that are both directional and ambient in nature. I appreciated the attention to detail that went into creating the surround mix as it effectively replicates the environments, off camera cues, and onscreen pans featured in the film. Bass is rich, authoritative, and room energizing as it accentuates the audio’s dynamic range with palpable impact. There is lots of whispering featured in the story but dialog intelligibility is never a problem. This is a great surround sound experience that certainly made this film more enjoyable.
Bonus Features:
- (HD) 8 Deleted Scenes with Director’s Audio Commentary
- Audio Commentary with Cast/Crew
- (HD) Five Featurettes (Totaling 19 minutes):
- No Escape
- Creating the Creepy House
- Meet the Cast
- Main in the Dark
- The Sounds of Horror
- Digital HD Copy
From the creators of Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe is a wonderfully crafted and executed multi-genre film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It comes to Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring excellent high definition video, involving DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound and a fair supplemental package that provides insights from the cast/crew. Don’t Breathe doesn’t reinvent the genre wheel but uses an intelligent approach that makes for a refreshing and entertaining film that comes recommended on Blu-ray.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS500 3D/4K Ready High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8802A 13.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player
Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and In-Ceiling series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS SB-13 Ultra (Piano Gloss finish)
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package