Universal Pictures, Platinum Dunes, Blumhouse Productions,
Lena Headey, Ethan Hawke, Max Burkholder, Edwin Hodge, Adelaide Kane, Tony Oller, Rhys Wakefield, Tom Yi
The world has grown bigger and badder, and the population of rowdy trouble-making gangs and punks has risen to a level where the government has determined that for a 12 hour period once every year, there should be a night called “The Purge” where the baddies can release their pent up energy and enjoy stealing, killing, raping, and just about any depravity without any interference. Hospitals and ambulances do not respond, the Police are all holed up safely at home, and there are no emergency services of any kind, and everything is legal. One suburban family is relatively well off, and they’ve installed a security system that is impenetrable. It turns out the husband sells such systems, much to the dismay of the rest of the neighborhood who feel like they have given all the money in the neighborhood to him for similar security systems. But though they think they’re safe, when a man arrives screaming for help, they accidentally take in the target of a gang of bullies. The situation escalates as they decide how to deal with the situation that none of them make live through the night to witness.
The Purge is one of those movies that appeared interesting to me when I saw the previews. Then it came and went like a flash. I saw a preview for the sequel, The Purge: Anarchy, and it made we wonder if the original had ever come out. I found that I had totally missed it somehow. I wanted to see it for curiosities sake prior to seeing the sequel. So I dropped it into my queue. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It’s short, and to the point, and the concept is rather unique. The Purge is suspenseful and really creepy. It’s edge of your seat suspense. It’s not really overboard on the horror element, but has lots of scenes of people sneaking around and hiding out. The acting is pretty good. Lena Headey and Ethan Hawke are really good, and the whole setup is filled with dread. I was happy I took the time out to watch this film, as it was rather unique in the way it dealt with the subject. It certainly is a long night waiting for the dawn.
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