The Purge Part 1: The Return of the Archons.

Rating: 7/10 (26 June 2014)

2013:
After having done some shopping,I decided to take a look and see what was playing at a near by cinema.With my attention having been caught in the past few days by the very unsettling poster,I was pleased to see that a screening of the Purge was about to take place.Despite having always turned off my phone in the past,I soon found out that my mistake was a well timed one,when I got a phone call about a relative (who is now thankfully OK) fainting from a sun stroke.
2014:
With having just started to watch the HBO TV series Game of Thrones,and also having seen trailers for the upcoming second movie in the series,I felt that it was about time that I finally went on my first ever purge.
The plot:
The future-
With crime reaching an epidemic level and the country being in nothing but an endless recession,the 'New Founding Fathers' of the US decide to deal with the matter by creating a Purge day,which for a 12 hour period (one day a year) allows everyone to 'unleash the beast' by legally being allowed to commit murder.
2022:
Delighted with the fact that he has sold the most security systems for his company,James Sandin returns home and gets set to use his security system,in order to keep his family safe from 'The Purge' about to take place.Talking to his son Charlie about the event,James is sadden to see that Charlie is unable to see the economic benefit's which The Purge has brought them.
Setting up the system,James starts to relax,whilst his daughter Zoey discovers that her boyfriend Henry has crept in,so that he can talk to her dad about their relationship.Looking at the monitors,Charlie notices a man attempting to get away from a gang on 'the purge.'With their being no where for the man to turn,Charlie decides to open the door,which will soon lead to his family finding out what happens when you purge ' em all.
View on the film:
Placing almost the whole movie inside the Sandin's home,writer/director James DeMonaco and cinematographer Jacques Jouffret give the title a chilling stainless steel appearance,with the metallic look of the Sandin's home revealing how little the family care about the killings taking place outside their safe zone.Along with the stainless steel appearance,the movie also features a number of well-handled,swift tracking shots,which brilliantly display the hidden corners of the home which can be used during the Purge.
Putting a Star Trek episode titled The Return of the Archons down to earth,writer James DeMonaco uses a vague political commentary to build a world completely in chaos,with DeMonaco going from the sly, (James security code is 10/13/1982,the day that Ronald Regan addressed the Nation on the economy)to the more overt (the only people who can protect themselves from the Purge are the rich.)Along with the political angel, DeMonaco also takes a sharp home invasion strike,which despite having an easy to guess final 'twist',does very well in building in intensity,as the Sandin's discover that their walls are unable to keep them separated from the nightmare taking place around them.
Entering the movie with a vicious smirk,Rhys Wakefield gives a brilliant performance as the leader of the Purge,with Wakefield's calm manner being broken by his increasingly wide smirk,which reveals 'the beast' that is hidden within.Attempting to survive Wakefield's onslaught, Lena Headey gives a very good performance as Mary,with Headey showing Mary to slowly gain a fight for survival mentality,whilst Ethan Hawke shows a real terror in his eyes,as James is forced out of his comfort zone,and takes part in his first ever Purge.