Set in a near future America where the new founding fathers have curbed crime via an annual, one-night purge, whereby all criminal activity is permitted, yes even murder. Apparently, this is meant to satiate all anti-social urges, but it mostly seems like a way for the affluent to murder themselves some po’ folk. Ethan Hawke plays an installer of hi-tech security devices, and obviously he makes a pretty penny around this time of year. He’s also a family man, and neither he nor wife Lena Headey see the need to participate in the purge, holing up in their well-protected house with tech-obsessed son Max Burkholder, and rebellious teen daughter Adelaide Kane. Unfortunately, as the purge begins, two intruders find their way into the home. Kane’s boyfriend turns up, wanting to have a talk with her dad, whilst socially-conscious Burkholder wants to save a homeless black man from being a purge victim. It’s this latter act which alerts the attention of and earns the ire of a bloodthirsty mob headed by suited, demonically grinning Rhys Wakefield (dressed in what looks like a private school uniform- he clearly comes from money and privilege). They want the homeless man…or else.
Despite the mixed reviews, I think writer/director James DeMonaco (writer of “The Negotiator” and “Skinwalkers”) does a damn good job of taking a nifty but potentially thin idea and sustaining tension and interest pretty well throughout this 2013 horror-thriller. I was worried at first that he was going for a right-wing, pro-gun statement here, but by the end you definitely can’t argue that. That’s a good thing, because there’s just no way that a purge would ever work in real society. Someone who gets off on breaking the law or has urges that are uncontrollable would likely either not benefit from the one-night purge, or would exploit it beyond its intentions. Arguably it’d never see the light of day to begin with, but I was willing to go along with the premise to that extent, otherwise why bother watching? But it ain’t no pro-NRA film, that’s for sure.
It’s certainly a contentious and interesting premise that gives lots of opportunities for tension, suspense, and home invasion terror. It begins with a somewhat creepy, impending sense of dread, and even the central family aren’t terribly comforting to begin with. 90s hipster actor Ethan Hawke seems emotionally stifled and practically choking on his own tie, Lena Headey gives off a superficial housewife/suburban vibe that could harbour dark urges underneath, and youngest son Max Burkholder’s robot-obsessed little weirdo could really go either way. And it only gets creepier when former “Home & Away” actor Rhys Wakefield (co-star Adelaide Kane, by the way, was briefly featured on the rival Aussie soap “Neighbours” a few years back) turns up grinning maniacally like a Stanley Kubrick character and dressed like a wannabe Patrick Bateman. Subtle he isn’t, but creepy he certainly is, in an effective casting against type. As his polar opposite, Ethan Hawke is hardly the most charismatic guy in the world, but cast as a mild-mannered abstainer from the purge, he’s well-utilised.
OVERALL SUMMARY
This might have a few holes and contrivances in it (However, I must say that some of the stupid behaviour is committed by the kid and the horny teen, so it’s not exactly unbelievable), but the premise is intriguing, the tension is kept pretty much throughout, and overall this is one of the more original horror-thrillers of the last few years. I’m not sure what the mixed reviews are all about. To me, this one’s a winner, and best of all, doesn’t stick around long.
