From a screenplay he co-wrote with Fede Lvarez, the director of the original movie, Don’t Breathe, comes the 2021 American horror thriller Don’t Breathe 2, which is directed by Rodo Sayagues in his directorial debut. In the sequel, Stephen Lang reprises his role as Norman Nordstrom/”The Blind Man,” which is produced by lvarez, Sam Raimi, and Robert Tapert.Brendan Sexton III and Madelyn Grace play supporting roles.
After the first movie’s critical and financial success, negotiations for a sequel started in November 2016. Lázaro was then confirmed to return as the movie’s director.
The studio gave the project the go-ahead in January 2020; Sayagues took over for Lopez as director, and Lang returned in his previous position. In Belgrade, Serbia, principal photography got under way on August 7 and ended on October 8, 2020.
On August 13, 2021, Sony Pictures Releasing released Don’t Breathe 2 in theatres across the country. Critics gave the movie a mixed bag of reviews, and it made $47 million worldwide.
PLOT:
Eight years after the events of the previous movie, blind former Navy SEAL Norman Nordstrom resides in a Detroit suburb with his Rottweiler, Shadow, and children, Phoenix, 11, and Phoenix. Phoenix is informed by Norman that the birth mother perished in a fire in their previous home.
Norman’s lone contact with the outside world and a former Army Ranger, persuades Norman to allow Phoenix to go with her on a town errand so that they can spend some time together outside of the house. An individual with a biker-like appearance tries to kidnap Phoenix, but Shadow scares them off. Following Hernandez’s van back to Norman’s, his group kills Phoenix as she exits after waiting for Hernandez to drop her off. Shadow is killed after being lured away.
The gang breaks in to take Phoenix while Norman goes outside to look for Shadow. When Raylan, the gang’s leader, informs Phoenix that he is her biological father and proves it by demonstrating how they both have a Mallen streak, a fight breaks out between Norman and the group.
It is known that Raylan spent eight years in prison after Phoenix’s home caught fire following a meth lab explosion in the basement. Phoenix was found unconscious in the accident by Norman, who then brought her home to replace his deceased daughter. When Phoenix put flowers at her mother’s memorial after being freed, Raylan saw Phoenix in person. A gangster chloroforms Phoenix. Raylan captures the beast in the attic and then orders his own dog to kill Norman.
Phoenix is taken with the gang as they burn down the house. As they flee together, Norman makes friends with the dog, who then directs him to the gang’s hotel refuge.
At the hotel, Raylan tells Phoenix that her true name is Tara and introduces her to her mother, who is still alive but in a wheelchair and suffering from terminal illness. She explains that she set off the explosion while making meth, poisoning her internal organs as a result. Tara’s parents kidnapped her so that their mother could receive an organ transplant.
Tara will be cognizant while having her heart removed because there aren’t any medicines or facilities available.A power outage delays the process, and Norman ambushes Raylan’s men. Using the cover of darkness, Norman kills them all one by one, with the exception of Raul, who lets Norman go after learning Raylan’s true motivations for bringing Tara back. Norman engages Raylan and kills the surgeon with smoke bombs.
Raylan accidentally fires a gun during the struggle, killing Tara’s mother, which forces Tara’s wheelchair to roll away while she is shackled. Raylan has Raylan’s eyeballs gouged out by Norman, who then abandons him for dead. Tara, who is still restrained by her mother’s wheelchair, manages to escape by severing her mother’s arms just as Tara and her mother’s wheelchair fall into the pool along with Josephine’s body.
Tara receives confirmation from a severely hurt Norman that her father was telling the truth. He admits to his misdeeds, which include rape and murder, and orders her to run away to safety. When Tara fatally stabs Raylan after he stabs Norman, Raylan falls into the empty pool next to the body of his wife. Norman tries to assist Tara, telling him that she can rescue him; Tara responds that she has already saved him; and then, it appears that Norman has died from his injuries. Tara departs and moves toward a children’s residence she had previously observed. Phoenix is the name she uses when she approaches a group of kids who are playing.
In a brief post-credits sequence, Raylan’s dog can be seen walking toward Norman’s apparent corpse. The dog is seen licking Norman’s fingers as the scene comes to a conclusion.
CAST:
- The Blind Man, played by Stephen Lang, is a blind former U.S. Navy SEAL who survived the injuries he sustained in the first movie and now resides in a remote location with his adopted daughter Phoenix, whom he saved from a house fire.
- Josephine Madelyn Grace plays Phoenix/Tara, Norman’s adopted daughter, while Brendan Sexton III plays Raylan, a gang boss, former prisoner, and Phoenix’s biological father. Raylan kidnaps Phoenix so he can give her heart to his disabled wife.
- Jim Bob, a thug who works for Raylan, is played by Adam Young.
- In the role of Jared, played by Bobby Schofield,a thug who works for Raylan, Jim Bob’s brother,
- Duke, one of Raylan’s thugs played by Rocci Williams, is one of Raylan’s thugs.
- Christian Zagia plays Raul, one of Raylan’s thugs who later joins forces with Norman after learning the real reasons behind Raylan’s death.
- Steffan Rhodri plays The Surgeon, an anonymous surgeon who attempts to take Phoenix’s heart during the procedure so that Josephine can receive it.
- Hernandez, a former US Army Ranger and Norman’s companion, is portrayed by Stephanie Arcila.
- Billy is Diaana Babnicova.
- Phoenix’s paraplegic biological mother, Josephine, played by Fiona O’Shaughnessy, was also Raylan’s wife.
- Duke, one of Raylan’s thugs, is played by Rocci Williams.
PRODUCTION:
A sequel to Don’t Breathe is in the works, and writer Fede Lvarez revealed that he would serve again as director in November 2016. Sam Raimi, the producer, said, “This is the best sequel concept I’ve ever heard of.” I am not joking. ” Lázarez spoke about the Don’t Breathe and Evil Dead sequels in November 2018, adding, “Right now, they are simply concepts.” There is nothing to formally announce. For Don’t Breathe 2, we do have a script. The only distinction is that the script for Evil Dead 2 is unavailable. However, we have a script that we wrote for Don’t Breathe 2.
Also from him: “I tweeted that I was curious to see what folks preferred. We were debating among ourselves what would most likely pique people’s curiosity. Sadly, Evil Dead 2 took first place. Since Don’t Breathe 2 is one of my own works, I suppose I would have loved it to win. Clearly, Evil Dead has a larger fan base. “
The co-writer of both Don’t Breathe movies, Rodo Sayagues, took over as director in January 2020, succeeding Lázaro.
Stephen Lang claimed in a March 2021 interview that he worked with The Northeastern Association for the Blind in Albany, New York to precisely portray the mannerisms of a person who is blind in order to reprise the part of Norman Nordstrom.
Pedro Luque, a seasoned filmmaker, returned to Belgrade, Serbia, for the start of principal photography on August 7, 2020. The COVID-19 epidemic caused a delay in production that was originally scheduled to start in April 2020. Stephen Lang isolated himself for ten days after landing in Serbia in July 2020, before filming. Lang stated that the last day of shooting was October 8, 2021.
Post-production on the film was said to be completed by March 2021, according to Lázaro, who “saw it not too long ago,” called it “amazing,” and later stated he thinks it’s better than the previous film. , who had previously worked on the original movie, was identified as having written the score for Don’t Breathe 2 in May 2021. Jan Kovac worked as the chief editor throughout post-production.
RELEASE:
On Friday, August 13, 2021, Sony Pictures Releasing released Don’t Breathe 2 in theatres across the country.
HOME MEDIA:
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the movie via video-on-demand on September 3, 2021; for rent and digital download on October 12, 2021; and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 26, 2021. A never-before-seen alternate conclusion, three featurettes about friends and filmmakers, a Bad Man, and designing deception are among the special features.
In the alternate ending, Tara is left off at a children’s home by one of Raylan’s previous goons, Raul.
RECEPTION:
Box Office:
Don’t Breathe 2 earned $47.2 million worldwide, including $32.6 million from the United States and Canada, $14.6 million from other countries, and other revenue.
Alongside Free Guy and Respect, Don’t Breathe 2 was released in the United States and Canada. It was predicted that in its first weekend, 3,005 theatres would bring in $8–12 million. Including $965,000 from Thursday night previews, the movie brought in $4.4 million on its opening day. After earning $10.6 million in its premiere, it came in second place to Free Guy. The movie finished fourth with second-weekend earnings of $5.1 million (down 51%) and third-weekend earnings of $2.8 million.
Critical Response:
Based on 78 reviews, the film has a 44 percent approval rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 4.90/10. According to the website’s reviewers’ consensus, Stephen Lang is still a menacingly compelling presence in Don’t Breathe 2, but the sequel’s plot struggles to provide his character a logical path forward.
The movie received “mixed or mediocre reviews,” according to the weighted average score on Metacritic, which is 46 out of 100 based on 19 reviews. CinemaScore audience polling revealed that viewers awarded the movie an average grade of “B” on a scale from A+ to F (down from the “B+” received by its predecessor), while PostTrak revealed that 73% of viewers gave it a good rating, with 55% stating they would definitely recommend it.
“Where the previous film gave genuine horrors, this one is suspenseful at best, snicker-worthy at worst, and will implore spectators to recollect the time Fonzie got on water skis and attempted not to get eaten by a shark,” stated John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter. The antagonists were “made as cartoonishly awful as possible,” according to Benjamin Lee of The Guardian, who gave the movie 1 star while praising Lang for having “an effectively imposing physical presence.”
He also said that the film was “an unforgivably dull piece of product that should never have breathed in the first place” and that “their ultimate plan for the girl [is] so laughably repulsive that suddenly, problematically, Nordstrom is made to seem like the better option.”
It appears more like the creators intended to purge their creation of its depravity than construct a story about that wickedness that makes sense, according to William Bibbiani of TheWrap, who lauded Lang and Grace’s performances but called the movie “a clunky home-invasion thriller.” [44]
The A.V. Club’s Jesse Hassenger gave the movie a grade of B, which was more complimentary. When it sticks to smaller gestures, like Norman’s already-established affection for cute canine sidekicks, Don’t Breathe 2 is more effective—possibly even a bit mischievously insidious—in its attempted villain rehab.While writing for RogerEbert.com, Christy Lemire rated the movie 2.5 stars while praising Lang’s performance and writing:”The most risky action in Don’t Breathe 2 is the attempt to fully recover Norman.” Although the reason for his suffering isn’t revealed until the very end, it’s admirable and even unusual for a studio film to offer its horror hero such moral ambiguity—and that’s exactly what he is here, in comparison. “