The Purge: Anarchy
Dir: James DeMonaco
Starring: Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, and
Zoë Soul
It’s difficult to turn back once someone wielding a weapon
screams the phrase “RELEASE THE BEAST”. “The Purge: Anarchy” expands the world
introduced in the first “Purge” which mostly composed a tedious home invasion
film. This time the depravity of a society that is given the opportunity to
commit all manner of crime, including murder, for 12 hours is taken to the
streets of Los Angeles. Director James DeMonaco somehow finds restraint, making
a film composed with all manner of interesting exploitation inspirations and
some keen observations about society yet unfortunately still has difficulties
finding a way to play within the boundaries of the rules it creates.
The film follows a few different groups of people a few
hours before the start of the annual Purge. Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele
Sanchez) are on the brink of a breakup while on their drive home. After an
intimidating encounter with some eager Purge participants, the couple’s car
curiously breaks down. Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and her daughter Cali (Zoë Soul) are preparing their home, in an apartment
complex, for protection. Barricading the doors and trying to ignore the color
commentary on the news, their apartment is attacked. These four people,
unprepared and hunted, are rescued by a lone protector (Frank Grillo) looking
for retribution of his own. Their goal is simple, survive the night.
Writer/Director James DeMonaco moves this sequel into a more
socially satirical realm than the first film that was mostly reserved for
moments of cheap scares and a violent game of cat and mouse. Expanding the
realm to explore how society copes and fails when rules for moral conformity
are relinquished creates some interesting avenues of survey. The analysis of the wealthy upper class is
the most deliberate; the Purge is portrayed within this class with delusional
fascinations of luxury to the extent of an auction for rich families to bond in
the thrill of the hunt for humans. The more interesting view comes when
DeMonaco presents how society has turned on itself. The film indicates the
culmination of aggression towards the controlling social power with displays of
attacks against those in positions of influence. Still the poor are
defenseless, forced into hiding, and those unwilling to participate are lost in
a world which operates on rage. All of them waiting for the Purge to one day find
them.
While the narrative offers more stimulating undertones it
still has difficulty making sense of the system it establishes. Why aren’t
people more prepared? Why are people out on the streets hours before the yearly
apocalypse? Yes, this is overthinking the point of the film but it’s too
obvious to ignore. If one were going camping it would seem necessary to prepare
with kits and supplies, why wouldn’t this logic apply for the yearly Purge Day?
The character decisions, on both sides of the assault, are hindered by idiotic
judgment calls. It all serves to move the film toward the unsurprising climax,
which wastes the depth explored early on.
“The Purge: Anarchy” is filled with genre influences clearly
from “Escape from New York” and “Assault on Precinct 13”. These are great films
to emulate and this sequel is a definite step ahead of the first “Purge” film. Still
the film struggles to maintain the tension of the event and sustain the interesting
elements of social commentary.
Monte’s Rating
3.00 out of 5.00
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