Tuesday, March 10, 2015

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.

16 comments:

  1. Great review! I saw this with my brother and we both agreed it was miles better than the first. I was just about to ask you if you thought there would be a third, and then I thought I should probably check first, and there is! So never mind, haha!
    - Allie

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    1. Definitely a lot better than the first. I'm so glad they broadened the scope for this one. I'm actually rather anxious for that third one.

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  2. Good review. I really enjoyed the film, but I thought it could have used more fleshing out with a few other of the main characters. I liked the guy who played the "Punisher" type character. He was great. I also liked his backstory about the loss of his son. But the female characters left some to be desired. The daughter (I think her name was Callie) was super irritating. Like you said, you have to take these films at face value and not put too much thought into it. Some people hate this franchise, but I actually think it's one of the more inventive horror franchises...and slightly plausible. My husband likens black friday to the purge.

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    1. Hadn't made the black Friday connection, but your husband is on to something. Pure madness out there. I agree that this has become rather inventive approach to horror. I just hope the franchise continues to realize more and more of its potential.

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  3. Great write up mate. I have heard of these fimls but they don't play down under so I haven't seen them. There is a first Purge film right? Would you recommend seeing that first? It seems to be a US thing, or something that doesn't screen down here at all at least. I've never seen it in a video store either.

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    1. Yes, this is the second Purge. Oddly, other than the concept of the Purge itself, the two movies are unrelated. Therefore, don't think you have to see that one to enjoy this one. .

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    2. Hmm they sound interesting, I'll have to see if I can get ahold of a copy. Cheers Dell

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    3. Cool. Can't wait to see what you think.

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  4. Great, review! This movie sounds absolutely insane. :-)

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    1. Thanks. Not sure if you've seen the first one, but this one is pretty much what I thought that was going to be.

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  5. Even just looking at the poster w/ that mask creeps me out, not sure this is for me. I don't have nerves of steel, ahah.

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    1. Understood, lol. It can be a bit tense. Just know that even though it's classified as horror, it plays more like an action flick.

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  6. Great review! I really enjoyed the film, and it was definitely better than the first. I liked Frank Grillo's character, he was great and had a good background story too

    Sonia | A Film A Day

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    1. Glad you liked it so much. I think it's an underrated film. Thanks for reading!

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  7. I really really hated The Purge, but I was so surprised by how much fun I had with this. It was such an improvement and I really enjoyed it.

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    1. I didn't hate The Purge, but I was definitely disappointed. I had far more fun with this. It's superior in most ways.

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