A needless foray into a future America where the lives of the poor mean even less than in the present

Rating: 1/10 (25 June 2013)

From reading through many of the reviews of 'The Purge' on this website I have derived that viewers of the film have divided themselves into two categories: those who honestly enjoyed it, and those who simply despised it. I must side with the latter group for reasons that are easily described.
'The Purge' is an exploitation film first and foremost. It is not a horror picture, nor does it load itself up with a high enough caliber message to make a moving statement about American social or political woes that trouble us today or are likely to worsen in the near future. It is a very short film that neither troubles the viewer with even slightly developed characters, nor does it weave into its simple plot the least of twists to make worthwhile a viewing in its entirety.
Essentially, if even slightly developed characters that interact with one another even slightly interestingly or entertainingly are a requirement for your enjoyment of a film, 'The Purge' is something you want to avoid.
The film is about an America of the near future where on one night a year, all emergency medical and law enforcement services are suspended so that you, I or the neighbors can legally commit any crime they like - up to and including mass murder - so that the tension and stress we've all pent up throughout the year can be "purged". This annual bloodfest has supposedly reduced crime to an historic low and made everyone happier and more productive in general. While the premise is interesting, its use in the context of the plot and themes evinced is not.
The family of main characters enter the picture as do good dick and jane who while they do not participate in the government encouraged slaughter, fully support it and praise and explain it to no end to their two children who could not come across as more bewildered by the inevitable events of the coming once yearly hell night.
Of the four family members, the son is the only one among them with a trace of a conscience made evident when some time after daddy Ethan locks their home down into fortress mode against the "purgers" he opens the ramparts momentarily to allow in a poor, black, homeless veteran begging for his life on their front lawn. You see in addition to the steel window and door plates their property is wired with high resolution security cameras.
Moments later a group of young people, who could only be described as serious fans of the Manson family cult, arrive on their doorstep and demand that the wounded homeless guy be turned over to them before their "heavy" steel plate breaching equipment arrives. It is here that the movie suddenly tries to remake itself as some kind of religious cult out to slaughter for kicks type of film. Ridiculously the members of the thrill kill squad wear masks with big frozen smiles and leering empty eyes and the too many scenes of them frolicking in the Sandin's front yard seem intended to be surreal and nightmare like, but end up making the would be thrill killers look and sound like prancing garden gnomes.
The film asks us to believe that these rich young people out to kill the poor on Purge Night are law abiding, wholesome youths 364 days a year, but on that last day suddenly transform into a cult of throat cutting maniacs with quirky on acid like facial expressions and patterns of speech? Loony Tunes I tell you - it's loony!
While the Sandin's brace for the incursion of the new manson gang, mom and dad hunt down the homeless guy their son let into their own private paradise and out of the blue their daughter's boyfriend - who snuck into the house before lockdown - decides to take several shots at her dad. I suppose this subplot was to demonstrate that the misguided lad could not be charged with a crime on Purge Night, but it only served as a comical distraction as moments after daddy blows him away, daughter dearest has forgotten all about her "growling" love for her beau.
Meanwhile, the Sandin boy makes an effort to keep the homeless guy hidden from mommy and daddy as they hunt their unwelcome guest down armed with a ridiculous selection of handguns. I think Ethan was packing a snub nose .44 magnum for goodness sake!
Inevitably the creepy crawly cult of killer teens does break into the house, but not before a horrid scene involving Lena, the bound by duct tape wounded homeless guy and a letter opener. All of this conducted in front of her two children its no wonder they go around the whole film looking so traumatized.
Movies like the 'The Purge' have always been made with the intent to shock us in some way, to make us feel less confident about ourselves, our neighbors, our society - to make us feel less safe in our sea of the mundane. Some similar films have succeeded, 'The Purge' however fails to do any of the aforementioned by a wide margin.
To sum up, 'The Purge' is a forgettable thriller populated by transparent husks of imitations of plausibly real people set in a America where life means even less than in some instances in our reality outside the silver screen. It's plot takes us to no interesting or even startling corners of thought and those targeted by the film for exploitation are the ones we should protect at all costs from sight or sound of this tragicomic mess of a movie.