Don't Breathe 2 (also known as the alternative title is Don't Breathe 2:The Blind Man Strikes Back) is a 2021 American Action Horror film directed by Robo Sayagues as a directional debuted with written by Himself and Fede Álvarez, based on the characters by themselves and sequel to the 2016 film Don't Breathe. It stars Stephen Lang was portrayed The Blind Man as a main protagonist, while Brendan Sexton III and Madelyn Grace we're reprising the supported role.
After the critical and commercial success of the first film, talks for a sequel began in November 2016, with Álvarez returning as the film's director. In January 2020, the project was green-lit by the studio, with Sayagues replacing Álvarez as director and Lang reprising his role. Principal photography began on August 7, 2020, in Belgrade, Serbia, and wrapped on October 8, 2020.
In addition, the film is scheduled to be theatrical released in August 13, 2021 by Sony Pictures Releasing. It received mixed from critics.
Plot[]
Eight years after the events of the first film, Norman Nordstrom lives in relative solitude with his 11-year-old daughter Phoenix and his Rottweiler, Shadow, in the suburbs of Detroit. Norman tells Phoenix that they used to have another house, which burned down in a fire, and that her birth mother died in that fire.
Norman gets a supply drop from his friend, former Army Ranger Hernandez. Hernandez, who is Norman's only connection with society, convinces a reluctant Norman to let her take Phoenix with her to run errands in town, so that she can have some time out of the house. While running errands together, Hernandez stops at a gas station to refuel. Phoenix is ambushed by a gangster when she goes to use the bathroom. Shadow scares the man away, but he and his men secretly follow Hernandez's van back home. They wait for Hernandez to drop Phoenix off, before ambushing and killing her.
The gang lures Shadow away and shoot him dead. Norman, who suspects something happened to Shadow since his food bowl is still full, goes outside to look for him, while the gang silently breaks into the house to kidnap Phoenix. Norman finds Shadow's body and realizes that he's been shot, before running back to the house to defend it. A struggle ensues between Norman and the gang members. Eventually, the gang leader shows up and tells Phoenix, who is hiding with Norman, that he is her real father, confirming it by showing they both have a streak of white hair on the right side of their head.
It is revealed that eight years prior, Phoenix's house burned down because a meth lab in the basement exploded. Phoenix's father, a notorious drug dealer, was immediately taken into custody after the explosion and sentenced to eight years in prison for various crimes. Norman found Phoenix unconscious while examining the burned house with Shadow and he took her home to fulfill his desire of having a daughter again. After being released, the dealer realized Phoenix was still alive after seeing her leave flowers for her mother's memorial at the burned house. A conflicted Phoenix tries to run away, but is knocked unconscious by a gangster named Raul.
Meanwhile, Phoenix's father releases his dog to kill Norman, who is reluctant to kill it and decides to trap it in the attic instead. The gang starts a fire in the house and drive off. Unbeknownst to them, Norman, having bonded with the dog, manages to escape with it from the burning house. He finds Hernandez's van, arms himself with the weapons inside, and leashes the dog so that it can lead him to the gang's location.
At the gang's hideout, Phoenix's father reveals that her real name is Tara and introduces her to her mother, alive but terminally ill. Tara's mother explains that eight years ago, she accidentally triggered an explosion while cooking meth. The accident exposed her to lethal chemicals, poisoning her internal organs. It turns out that Tara's parents kidnapped their daughter not because they love her, but because they need an organ transplant. The couple drugs Tara and takes her to a crude operating room, where the back-alley surgeon they hired explains that due to the lack of proper equipment, he'll have to remove Tara's heart while she is fully conscious.
A blackout stops the surgeon from extracting the heart. Tara's father orders his men to restore the power, where they're ambushed by Norman, who picks them off one by one by exploiting the darkness. Raul, being the last man standing, decides he doesn't want to take part in Tara's killing and sides with Norman, pointing him to where she is. Norman finds the operating room and kills the surgeon. A scuffle between him and the father ensues; a stray gunshot hits Tara's mother and she bleeds to death. Norman then gouges the father's eyes out and leaves him for dead.
A tearful and severely injured Norman tells Tara that everything her father said was true. He confesses his crimes, including murder and rape, and tells her to run away from him. The father, despite being completely blind, suddenly appears and fatally stabs Norman. Before he's able to finish him off, Tara stabs her father to death. Tara attempts to help Norman and tells him she can save him, to which he replies "you already have" before dying. Tara leaves the hotel and heads to a park she had seen at the beginning of the film. She sees kids playing and introduces herself as Phoenix.
In a post-credits scene, the dog comes by Norman’s body and it is implied he might still be alive.
Cast[]
- Stephen Lang as Norman Nordstrom / "The Blind Man"
- Brendan Sexton III as Raylan
- Madelyn Grace as Phoenix
- Adam Young as Jim Bob
- Bobby Schofield as Jared
- Rocci Williams as Duke
- Steffan Rhodri as The Surgeon
- Stephanie Arcila as Hernandez
- Diaana Babnicova as Billy
- Christian Zagia as Raul
Production[]
In November 2016, writer Fede Álvarez announced that a sequel was in the works, returning as director. Producer Sam Raimi was quoted saying, "It's only the greatest idea for a sequel I've ever heard. I'm not kidding." In November 2018, Álvarez said, "They're just ideas right now. Nothing to announce officially. We do have a script for Don't Breathe 2. That's the only difference. We don't have a script for Evil Dead 2. But we do have a script for Don't Breathe 2 that we wrote."
He also said, "When I tweeted that I was interested in seeing what people prefer. We were having some internal debates about what people would be interested in most. Unfortunately, Evil Dead 2 won. Which, I guess I would have preferred Don't Breathe 2 to win because it's one of my own creations. Obviously Evil Dead has the bigger following." In January 2020, Álvarez was replaced as director by co-writer Rodo Sayagues, making his directorial debut. In a March 2021 interview, Stephen Lang, in preparation for reprising the role of Norman Nordstrom, worked with The Northeastern Association for the Blind in Albany, New York to accurately depict the mannerisms of someone afflicted with being blind.
Principal photography began on August 7, 2020, in Belgrade, Serbia, with Pedro Luque serving as cinematographer, returning from the previous film. In July 2020, prior to filming, Stephen Lang quarantined himself for ten days after arriving in Serbia. Production was previously set to begin in April 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lang revealed that filming wrapped on October 8, 2020. By March 2021, post-production on the film was said to be finished, according to Álvarez, who "watched it not too long ago and is fantastic". In May 2021, Roque Baños was revealed to have composed the score for Don't Breathe 2, having returned from the first film. During post-production, Jan Kovac served as lead editor.
Release[]
Don't Breathe 2 was theatrically released in the United States on August 13, 2021, by Sony Pictures Releasing.
Home Media[]
After the film's release, The film was rent on September 2021 while Sony Pictures Home Entertainment received DVD, BluRay and Ultra HD BluRay will be October 2021.
Reception[]
Box Office[]
In the United States and Canada, Don't Breathe 2 was released alongside Free Guy and Respect, and is projected to gross $8–12 million from 3,000 theaters in its opening weekend. Don't Breathe 2 earned $965,000 from Thursday night previews.
Critical Reception[]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 50% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Stephen Lang remains a thrillingly imposing presence in Don't Breathe 2, but this sequel's story strains to find a sensible way forward for his character." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, down from the "B+" earned by its predecessor, while PostTrak reported 73% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 55% saying they would definitely recommend it.