Writer James DeMonaco delivers a vivid social commentary hidden behind the bloody guise of a horror movie. The Purge is the story of an average family in the year 2022. Ethan Hawke and Lena Heady portray James and Mary Sandin a suburban, all-American married couple with two children. In this future exists a night of complete savagery known as the Purge, where once a year crime is legal and anything is fair game. The new founding fathers of America, along with many criminal psychologists, weigh in to tell the audience that the Purge exists so Americans can let out their dark fantasies and rage one night a year in the open, so the rest of the year will be virtually crime free.
On this night of the Annual Purge the Sandin’s youngest child, Charlie, is having a particularly difficult time grasping why everyone seems to be okay with letting people kill and be killed for the supposed good of the country. James, who sells high tech security systems for those who can afford them, reassures his son that the reason the Purge continues to be required is because it works, because it saved the country from crime and poverty. However, when a homeless man cries out for help, Charlie cannot sit quietly behind his security system and wait to see the man die, he must help him. Charlie opens the security barricades to bring the man to safety, but in so doing brings the wrath of a group of young sadists who had targeted the homeless man for their purge. The Sandins now must make a choice to either sacrifice the man to his tormentors, or fight the clan of killers on their doorstep.
What makes The Purge a must see is its originality. Horror movies, in general, tend to follow such tightly wound plot formulas, so, when a high concept story like The Purge comes along, it is refreshing. The characters themselves are not fully rounded, but the moral questions that are posed to them not only make for great cinematic magic, but also get the audience thinking, “what would I do?” Both Ethan Hawke and Lena Heady deliver powerhouse performances, but what stood out most was the sinister portrayal of “the polite stranger” by Australian actor, Rhys Wakefield. His perverse smile will haunt you long after the movie has ended.
The reason The Purge makes for such a great movie is that it perfectly balances thought provoking content with thrills and suspense. Throughout the story the moral questions about the Purge are expressed through character conversations and radio and television broadcasts. James, the patron of the Sandin family is a pure believer in the Purge. He knows that the enacting of the Purge lead to a drop in crime rates and the rise of the American economy. Not to mention, him and his family prospered greatly by the need for higher quality, more expensive security systems. However, what James never explains to his son, is that the Purge mostly benefits the “haves” and is a dangerous nightmare for the “have nots”. Those who can afford the safety of the security systems either sit back and wait the night out, or go out “hunting.” On the other hand, those who cannot afford the security system, those who benefit most from government aid, are sitting ducks. So the economy flourishes because those who cannot afford to be “contributing members of society” are most likely killed. The homeless man that takes refuge in the Sandins’ house is a prime example of the people the Purge targets. He cannot afford a home, let alone a security system and he is target by the sick group of youngsters who refer to him as “swine.” In this way, DeMonaco creates a thrilling night of horrors that is at its core filled with social commentary. The Purge is filled with edge of you seat suspense and action, thought provoking and disturbing content and an overall intensely crafted story.
Though I saw some children in the theater during my viewing, I highly recommend that anyone younger than seventeen sit this one out. The violence is off the charts, and very graphic. Let me know what you thought of The Purge in the comments below!
Check Out the Purge Trailer Below
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