Instead of following just one perspective on the annual Purge, this film should have focused our attention on every aspect. From the "poor, homeless pigs who are not contributing to society," to the rich and protected, and finally to the hunters, the sociopaths, the people with an insatiable need to kill. Their hate being suppressed for 364.5 days of the year only allowing the beast to surface for 12 hours out of the year.
With a lot of potential wasted The Purge was still an entertaining movie experience. The idea behind the purge is how cathartic it is for everyone in the country and that seemed to translate to much of the audience as well, cheers and claps were heard throughout the film when certain deaths occurred. The acting overall was good.
Ethan Hawke has been out of major films for awhile, aside from last year's Sinister, which should have a sequel sometime in the near future, (I think). He showed that even a man who sells security systems and lives a life of luxury can still protect his family when he needs to. Lena Headey hides her anger and aggression well, with fleeting glances towards her husband. Max Burkholder and Adelaide Kane do a good job playing the kids, albeit fairly unintelligent ones. However Rhys Wakefield stole the movie as the "polite neighbor" (aka the leader of the crazy "hunters"). He was very similar to Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight including many of the facial expressions. He was terrifying. The other hunters really bring the crazy to life as well.
The storyline was overall, fairly basic. It was often predictable for the first half of the film. I kept waiting to be rewarded and brought around full circle with a few plot points, but was left hanging. While there were shortcomings in the plot, it made up for them in many entertaining ways. Whether it was the dialogue, the disturbing hunters, or the family dynamic, as a whole the story was thrilling.
Worth seeing if you have some pent up aggression, anger, or resentment and it's even worth seeing if you don't. It's a fun summer movie.
6.5/10
