The Purge: Anarchy

Directed by James DeMonaco.

2014. Rated R, 103 minutes.

Cast:

Frank Grillo

Carmen Ejogo

Zoe Soul

Zach Gilford

Kiele Sanchez

Justina Machado

John Beasley

Jack Conley

Noel Gugliemi

Michael K. Williams

Roberta Valderrama

Once again, it's time for the annual purge. If you missed the first movie, this is the one night when any crime, murder included, is completely legal in America. The Purge has been credited with the virtual eradication of crime on the other 364 days of the year. We focus on several people who soon find themselves stuck with each other and on the run as a particularly murderous group chases them. Leo Barnes (Grillo) is our point man. He is the cool under pressure yet mysterious dude with a bulletproof car and a mission of his own to carry out. He's also a good samaritan. That's how he winds up with a car full of people. First are Eva (Ejogo) and her daughter Cali (Soul). The bad guys seem to be after them in particular, but Leo intervenes on their behalf early on. He also winds up with Shane (Gilford) and Liz (Sanchez), a young couple who were driving home when their car broke down. Now, they're just trying to dodge all the random murderers running around. Aside from Leo, none of these people are very adept at protecting themselves.

After the earliest parts of The Purge: Anarchy sets things up, we settle into a wildly violent chase movie. The frequency and gruesome finality of this violence makes it blood-splattering fun. However, what happens between action is what makes it suspenseful and intriguing. The suspense is derived from the simple fact there could literally be a killer lurking around every corner. They're everywhere. Our intrigue comes from the film's appeal to our philosophical side. It gives us both the pros and cons of having such a day. Though the movie itself is clearly on one side over the other, there is enough here to debate.

The film's views are manifested in the person of Carmelo (Williams), an outspoken militant leader against the very idea of The Purge. He's not actually in the movie all that much. However, his presence is all over it. Cali is a big fan of his and mostly functions as a mouthpiece for him. Her other role is rather predictable so no need to get into that. Since his words concern what's going on in the nation as a whole, he helps give things a larger scope, as well. This is important because the idea of having this type of yearly event is huge. The first movie undermined this by restricting us mostly to the home of a singular family. While it was a decent watch, it couldn't handle the vastness of its idea. This one does a much better job of making us feel like we're trapped in a country where not only has everyone gone mad, but the rules governing them have been temporarily lifted. Our anxiety is heightened because of the mayhem that really feels like its everywhere. During those times when we do find ourselves in someone's house we're on edge because we're just waiting for the sanctity of that home to be broken.

Despite it's wonderful use of the Carmelo persona, the movie doesn't do anywhere near enough with the actual person. His one in-the-flesh appearance is more predictable development than grand reveal, hardly worth the wait, and all too brief. Still, there is much potential with him. We already have a capable actor in Michael K. Williams playing the role. He just needs to be fleshed out into a full-blown person rather than just the embodiment of certain ideologies. His ideas definitely don't need to be abandoned, but expanded. A battle between his organization and the government could be an epic affair. I would more than welcome a Purge movie with him as the central character. this could really crack open the discussion on the idea of having a Purge and lead us more directly into conversations about classism, racism, gun control, the role of government, and so on. To its credit, this one does a better job of exploring these things than its predecessor, but the surface has barely been scratched. I'm not so naive as to think a movie following the vision I have for it would change the world. However, it would give us something more to talk about.

Taken at face value, The Purge: Anarchy functions well as a popcorn flick. As mentioned there is lots of action with plenty of tension mixed in. Our characters are basically standard stock, a consequence of making it a "bigger" film, but performed very well. This includes leading man Frank Grillo. He is serviceable and honestly shines during the physical aspects of his role. However, he's not as compelling as the panicked patriarch Ethan Hawke gave us in that first movie. In a supporting gig, the underrated Carmen Ejogo is again very strong. So, too, are Justina Machado and Roberta Valderrama as a pair of sisters in the apartment where our heroes take refuge. Don't worry, that's not a spoiler. The film is briskly paced, never threatening to overstay its welcome. It can be a bit repetitive since our heroes have to survive a number of close calls. Under the guise of being simply entertaining, this all works. If you wish to just turn your brain off and let the violence wash over you, have at it. The Purge: Anarchy is highly enjoyable when viewed that way, if largely run of the mill. It's the subtext which gives this film life beyond others that play out in a similar fashion.