Overview
A group of thieves finds themselves trapped in a deadly game of survival against a blind man with a dark secret.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- claustrophobic
- foreboding
- visceral
- late night horror marathon
- halloween night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a lean, inventive, and intensely tense home-invasion thriller whose simple premise supports sustained suspense.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The robbery and pursuit unfold almost entirely inside the blind man's house, with rooms, darkness, and exits repeatedly changing the characters' tactical options.
Rocky, Money, and Alex enter expecting an easy robbery of a blind homeowner, but the blind man becomes the dominant hunter.
The characters must control their breathing, movement, and noise while the blind man's heightened hearing turns quiet domestic spaces into perilous terrain.
The nighttime break-in, blackout conditions, and narrow interior spaces create persistent confinement and disorientation.
Films like Don't Breathe, and why
Panic Room
shared home invasion premise, claustrophobic suspense, and a vulnerable protagonist navigating a dangerous house
Wait Until Dark
shared disability-centered cat-and-mouse tension, domestic confinement, and relentless thriller pacing
The Strangers
shared brutal home invasion horror, moral reversals, and escalating survival peril
The Collector
shared trapped-house suspense, criminal protagonists, and a ruthlessly controlled survival game
Movie Details
- Director
- Fede Álvarez
- Release Date
- 2016-06-08
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (8171)
Cast
- Stephen Lang
- Jane Levy
- Dylan Minnette
- Daniel Zovatto
- Emma Bercovici
- Franciska Törőcsik
- Christian Zagia
- Katia Bokor
- Sergej Onopko
- Olivia Gillies
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Don't Breathe about?
- A desperate young thief’s easy burglary becomes a savage, nearly silent fight to escape the house of a blind and terrifying predator.
- What is Don't Breathe like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Don't Breathe as breakneck, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Don't Breathe violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Don't Breathe as brutal.
- What did critics think of Don't Breathe?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a lean, inventive, and intensely tense home-invasion thriller whose simple premise supports sustained suspense.
- Which films are like Don't Breathe?
- Films with a similar feel include Panic Room, Wait Until Dark, The Strangers, and The Collector.
- How long is Don't Breathe?
- Don't Breathe runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Don't Breathe?
- In United States, Don't Breathe streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
