Underrated social commentary

Rating: 9/10 (31 May 2015)

Having seen THE PURGE (2013) several times, I've come to the conclusion that it's an unfairly maligned, underrated, socially conscious film. Not just another run-of-the-mill suspense thriller, 'The Purge' actually makes some persuasive statements and arguments for and against the fictional annual national "cleansing".
Highlighting the film is James Sandin (superbly played by strong veteran actor Ethan Hawke), a prominent corporate employee of the security firm that provides the protection systems for he and his neighbors. These systems are needed for the recently enacted annual U.S. 'Purge', a 12-hour period of cleansing where citizens are allowed to commit virtually any crime they want against virtually anyone they please. Only high-ranking government officials (the ones who came up with the idea, the irony) are immune for the criminal activity.
Sandin's family includes his wife Mary (excellently played by the reliable Lena Headey) and two kids Zoey and Charlie (solid work by Adelaide Kane and Max Burkholder). The Sandins' strained family life is subtly displayed in the hours prior to the purge, as Zoey in particular is a rebellious type who against James' wishes is dating a boy quite older than her. Also, we meet the Sandins' neighbors, the main one being Grace (played in a pitch perfect performance by Arija Bareikis), the de facto hypocritical, nosy "Gladys Kravitz" of the neighborhood. The undercurrent of false community is subtly established early on.
And so the purge begins! The scene of the family silently watching the national broadcast of the start of the purge is very effective. Soon after it starts, a Stranger (brilliantly played by Edwin Hodge in a strong, silent role) runs through the neighborhood screaming for help, as Charlie de-activates the home security system to let him in, then all hell breaks loose! A psychotic young man, the Polite Leader (played to creepy perfection by Rhys Wakefield) trespasses on Sandin property imploring them to give over the Stranger to he and his crew of young purgers. There's a strong undercurrent of racism and targeting that permeates as the Stranger is a homeless, black man.
During the course of the battle of wills between the Sandins and the Purgers, strong social commentary shines through as the family has the moral dilemma whether to give over the Stranger to protect their home and family, yet by giving him over, they violate their moral beliefs in being humane people. The internal and external struggle among the family members, especially between James and Mary, really provides the heart of the film. The ending scenes are very powerful and by the end of it, a strong statement about the society we live in is made. Don't believe the haters. This one is much better than given credit for!