“The Purge: Anarchy” tries really hard to sell its premise. Throughout the movie everyone talks about the way the annual purge night has reshaped the country. Yet, for as much as everyone talks about the new world order, the ramifications of this world continue to be underdeveloped.
“The Purge” was the surprise hit of 2013. The film was made for $3 million and grossed $64 million at the domestic box office. Other than the high-concept premise, there was very little to distinguish it from similar home invasion films like “The Strangers” and “Funny Games.”
The premise that for 12 hours each year all crime is made legal by the government could have some interesting ramifications. Unfortunately, the film has a limited understanding of how to explore this concept.
“The Purge: Anarchy” reaches the conclusion that a good chunk of this country would only use this night free of consequences to unleash their inner sociopath, killing people indiscriminately. This one note obscures the potential of the film to explore what regular people would do with a night without laws, which could be far more interesting.
The film follows a group of strangers who band together to survive the night, while being pursued by roaming gangs of killers. Frank Grillo, fresh off “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” gives a solid performance as a police sergeant out for revenge against the man who killed his son. Carmen Ejogo and Zoë Soul play mother and daughter who are being hunted for reasons beyond the audience’s comprehension.
Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez) round out the group as a couple whose car breaks down right as purge night begins. They also represent one of the biggest issues with the film, as despite their presence throughout the story, they develop no realistic characteristics that are relatable.
Where “The Purge” relied on the tricks of haunted house films to create scares, the sequel mostly drops the pretense that it is a horror movie and, instead, focuses on violence. Yet, for a movie that has “anarchy” in the title, there is surprisingly little going on. Part of this is due to the relatively modest $9 million dollar budget. It is also due to that fact that the film is set in a major metropolitan city, yet there are many shots of quiet, empty streets throughout.
If you can enjoy the moments of unintentional comedy, “The Purge: Anarchy” might be worth a watch. For fans hoping for an in-depth exploration of the world introduced by “The Purge,” they will have to wait for the inevitable three-quel.
THE PURGE: ANARCHY
Dir: James DeMonaco
Starring: Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford
Run Time: 103 min
MPAA Rating: R
2 shovels out of 5