Don’t Breathe 2 (2021)
(Amazon Streaming, July 2022) There was really no need to do a follow-up to Don’t Breathe—the film was self-contained enough that the only remaining direction for a sequel was inherently distasteful: more glorification of a serial kidnapper/murderer. Stephen Lang, to be fair, is quite good as the blind ex-veteran who somehow ended up as the star of this two-film thriller/horror series. But I’ve had enough with glorifying killers, abusers and kidnappers and Don’t Breathe 2 merely doubles down on all of that with a side of absolution. It’s a film that doesn’t really attach itself to the real world—everything takes place in nighttime, in run-down places away from the rest of civilization and featuring a variety of horrible people. Some of the plot has to do with the Blind Man’s abducted “daughter” rediscovering her lost parents, but there’s nothing remotely uplifting about the reasons why they want her back and the unrelenting grimness eventually takes its toll. While handsomely photographed and directed by Rodo Sayagues, the film feels morally bankrupt and consequently of very little interest. Useless and ugly, Don’t Breathe 2 may yet do worse and lead to a third instalment. But let’s hope not.