The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
Certified: 15
Duration: 103 minutes
Directed by: James DeMonaco
Starring: Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Zoë Soul, Michael K. Williams, Justina Machado, John Beasley, Jack Conley, Noel Gugliemi, Castulo Guerra
KRS Releasing Ltd
The Purge was made last year on a $3 million budget and ended up making nearly $90 million. It promised a cool story, one where in the year 2022 all crime is completely legal for one night only. This purge serves as a population control and to keep the country strong economically.
The Purge turned out to be an excellent home invasion picture that could have done more with its cool plot line.
The sequel made on a $9 million budget has already grossed more than $58 million and thematically it manages to live up to the promise of the interesting concept more than the original.
This sequel is set a year after the first film, when the time of the annual Purge approaches and it is not a good time to be out on the streets.
Shane and Liz (Zach Filford and Kiele Sanchez) are heading home when their car breaks down and are stranded an hour before the Purge is about to start.
They had been followed and watched by a gang, and when the Purge starts, they hunt them down.
In another area, Eva and her daughter Cali (Carmen Ejogo and Zoë Soul), have just discovered that Eva’s sick father has placed himself as a Purge offering. He has offered himself to be hunted by the rich in exchange for a $100,000 prize.
That is when Cali and Eva are faced with intruders in their house who drag them away.
Then there is Sergeant Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) who is out seeking vengeance for what happened to his son.
However, he ends up saving Eva and Cali and agrees to be their escort in exchange for a car. Meanwhile, the hunt is on and nowhere is safe.
Director James DeMonaco has beefed up the environment and the premise, venturing away from the simple home invasion theme. He also gives us various viewpoints of how the Purge works and how it affects different strata of society.
I found the fact that the film gives us a sort of gang-hunted feel in the same vein as one of my favourite films, The Warriors (1979), is quite refreshing.
Watching all kinds of crazy goings-on fascinates me as to the ways and means that man can make life difficult for himself and his fellow men.
One can also perceive DeMonaco’s political inclinations. The film shows how the government is on a secret agenda to get rid of the poor, with the wealthy setting up their own purges.
On the acting side, Grillo, as a sergeant is the real star as he dominates every scene he is in. He brings to the film a certain intensity that the others around him cannot match and it is through him that the film is given credibility and looks more than realistic.
There is also good and interesting camerawork, especially in the aerial shots which give the film a sort of haunting look. All this is amplified by the electronic score by Nathan Whitehead.