The Purge: Anarchy

Released:  July 18^th, 2014

Rated:  R

Studio:  Universal

Staring:  Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Michael K. Williams

Directed by:  James DeMonaco

Written by:  James DeMonaco

Personal Bias Alert:  likes Zach Gilford, likes genre mixing

5 of 10

  

            While not a smart film, “The Purge:  Anarchy” did leave me with one question:  What was it trying to be?  I was expecting a horror film, but it’s never very horrifying.  Maybe action, but then why populate your film with so many helpless characters?  Thriller is probably the best fit, but even so it too often breaks momentum to linger on a creepy set piece to really work in that genre.  And I’m not the only one who’s mildly confused.  Rotten Tomatoes lists it as horror, Wikipedia as horror-thriller, and IMDB lists the entire trifecta.  I think IMDB has it right in that it’s a little bit of all three.  This is a film that’s willing to throw whatever it thinks might entertain you onto the screen, which makes it livelier than it would have been if it had constrained itself to any one particular genre.

            “Anarchy” is a sequel to 2013’s “The Purge,” and remains in the same world the previous film set up.  There is now one night a year where all crime is legal, where you either run amok relieving yourself of pent-up frustrations or hunker down in your homes and pray you survive the night.  It’s an interesting concept, and a deep exploration of this world could easily justify a film series.  The series we’re getting, however, chooses to skirt the surface of its world’s ramifications.  I can’t help but be disappointed by this, but at the same time it’s clearly not trying to be that sort of film.  It’s happy to just give you a thrill, a chance to say “I think I would do this” without having to feel too bad about it.

            This time around we follow a five-some roaming through the streets trying to survive the night.  Four of them were forced outside, while one went out with a purpose.  The four unwilling and utterly helpless participants include a mother (Carmen Ejogo), her teenage daughter (Zoë Soul), and a separating young couple (Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez).  The group’s leader (Frank Grillo) is armed to the teeth, but seems uninterested in hurting random people.  His reasons for being out that night is supposed to be the big mystery of the film, but I was never really that interested.  He’s a familiar archetype, the troubled but in his heart decent guy sort, and I could tell where his story was going even if I didn’t know the particulars.

            Familiar is the best word to describe this film.  Everything about it is familiar, and yet writer/director James DeMonaco throws so much familiarity at us that it never becomes too boring.  He layers on several plot points as the film goes on, all of which even a mildly discerning viewer could figure out the payoff to, but once established they are dropped for long periods of time.  DeMonaco effectively juggles the different threads, distracting the viewer with one only to bring up another after you’ve completely forgotten about it.   It makes for a nice series of cheap thrills and prevents the thing from becoming tedious like this month’s previous horror flick “Deliver Us from Evil” did.

            The film thrives in the open world it has created for itself, allowing the group to roam the streets from one set piece to the next.  Some are disturbing (a callous, rich family praying over their soon-to-be victim) while others are just sad (a deranged woman ranting into a bullhorn and shooting aimlessly).  There are even some moments that provide catharsis to our own world’s problems, like when the group passes a strung up banker and remarks that he probably deserved it.  The world is never mined for anything more than cool-looking stuff, but it’s an effective setup that allows DeMonaco to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks.

            If you’re intrigued by the premise like I was, then you’ll likely walk away disappointed that it wasn’t used for a smarter movie.  But if thrills are all you want, then this movie will leave you pleased as punch.

            Other Notes:

Ø  The dude with the mouth drawn on his neck was creepy.

Ø  So the girl was special just because she stuck up for herself?  That is such a tired notion that I wish would get dropped already.  Women tend to stick up for themselves nowadays.

Ø  The hospital at the end should have been way busier.