Atonement of the cruel man – review of the movie “Don’t Breathe 2”

Freedom, Tomek …

Several years have passed since the attempted break-in into the home of Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang). At that time, the man took in a girl whose parents died in a tragic accident. Experienced by fate, he practically locks the orphan within his own property – here the child plays, learns and trains (not only as part of the compulsory curriculum, because the former commando also introduces the child to self-defense and survival techniques). Once in a while, however, she allows her to go to town, where her friend courier, Hernandez (Stephanie Arcila), takes her with her. One such foray will have serious consequences – when the girl wants to lay flowers in the ruins of the house where her mother died in the fire, little Phoenix (Madelyn Grace) will become interested in a group of shady guys. The house of the blind will once again become the silent witness and the arena, where a duel to the death will take place. The intentions of the bandits led by Raylan (Brendan Sexton III) will turn out to be much worse than the intentions of teenagers trying to rob Nordstrom years ago – but they also do not realize who they have just messed with …

How Cuba God …

If you have seen the first part of the Uruguayan diptych by the duo Álvarez-Sayagues, you probably know what to expect (both of them are responsible for the script, Rodo Sayagues took over the director’s stool this time). Especially the first acts Don’t breathe 2they bring to mind the intimate terror and claustrophobic anxiety of their predecessor. The farther into the forest, the more they give way to brutal, bombastic chaff and the escalation of pathology. The key point of the plot also moves the action beyond the familiar surroundings of Norman’s house – it takes a really serious wink and suspend your disbelief to believe that a blind guy, led only by a completely strange dog, who tried to bite him just moments earlier, would be able to reach a complete stranger. place, and then – still without arousing a shadow of suspicion – be able to perfectly navigate its nooks and crannies.

There are many more such absurdities and inconsistencies. The creators put a lot of effort into arranging circumstances that could justify the enormity of the violence inflicted by a blind man, which goes far beyond the definition of self-defense. And while in the case of the previous part, the position of the monstrous antagonist to some extent eliminated the moral discomfort associated with the observation of his actions (and the disproportionate punishment to the victims’ transgression was one of the elements constituting the atmosphere of terror), the attempt to make him an antihero fighting for redemption, while behaving bloody modus operandiit already required inventing a completely lousy enemy, devoid of any remnants of humanity. In order for the motivations of the protagonist, who is guided by an eminently distorted ethical code, to give the impression of a substitute for nobility, the actions of the adversaries must be so unequivocally ignoble that they reach a caricature, and the characters themselves so unquestionably angry that they are exaggerated. So if Don’t Breathe subcutaneously portrayed the hope that still smolders in the deserted Detroit, the sequel blatantly portrays the moral decline of those who in the abandoned (by industry and God, one would like to say) remained voluntarily city. Viewers observe the duel of the spoiled so much that the ethical barometer lacks a scale.

So much dirt all over town

However, if we turn a blind eye to the intensity of the absurd and the stretched plot, and focus on the technical aspects, we will get a pretty solid realization. Pedro Luque’s photos reflect the dirt and hopelessness of a city that does not even try to cope with the consequences of its own bankruptcy, and the familiar, inconspicuous spaces of the house – a safe haven – transform into a death trap, a trap with no way out. What has not changed in relation to the first part is the creative sense and spatial imagination of the Uruguayan duo. Ordinary objects become deadly tools, the light and shade of familiar nooks and crannies shape a labyrinth in which no one in their right mind would like to find themselves. Stephen Lang re-creates an intriguing character, smoothly changing the masks of an uncompromising, ruthless killing and broken machine, filled with guilt and self-hatred, the old man. Even if – knowing himbackstory – it is difficult for him to sympathize. Even if he is alone on this stage.

After all, Don’t Breathe 2 is closer to a school study of building tension and the creative use of props and set constraints, rather than a full-fledged feature film. Those who can endure a high concentration of caricatured pathology may find the prospect of a session tempting. Even with this, however, I would recommend refreshing the much more successful part one in the first place.

For the movie Don’t Breathe 2, please visit the Cinema City network!