Turns from horror to society message to full blown action 'home invasion film' starring Ethan Hawke!

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2013)

'THE PURGE': Four Stars (Out of Five)
Low budget horror film that killed at the box office it's opening weekend (making $36 million, for a #1 debut, on a $3 million budget). Horror is always the most profitable genre though. They're immensely popular films because everyone loves to be scared and feel disturbed at times. They also can be made on a shoestring budget, which doesn't mean much to the viewer but as a filmmaker being forced to work on a low budget forces creativity. Horror is the best genre to do this with because it lends itself to that kind of filmmaking. Coming up with cool and unique ways to scare and startle people doesn't cost a lot of money and that's what this genre is all about. 'THE PURGE' is a great example of this; it's horror done right.
The film was written and directed by James DeMonaco and produced by Michael Bay. It stars Ethan Hawke (who has been doing a lot of horror films these days, like last year's 'SINISTER', when he's not doing 'BEFORE SUNRISE' sequels that is). Hawke and Lena Headey play a married couple (named James and Mary Sandin) with two children. They have a son, named Charlie (Max Burkholder), and a teenage daughter, named Zoey (Adelaide Kane). The family is very well off as James sells security systems, in the year 2022. It's a single-party future where crime and poverty in America are almost non existent because the Government allows a 12-hour period, once a year, where all crime (including murder) is legal and emergency aid is suspended. The only laws are that high ranking government officials are not to be harmed and certain weaponry is forbidden (I'm assuming high powered explosives probably). The film all takes place at the home of the Sandins one night during 'the Purge', which is what the 12-hour period of lawlessness is called. When Charlie lets a homeless man (Edwin Hodge) into their secured home to protect him from a viscous gang of rich kids, led by a masked man (Rhys Wakefield, in a very creepy performance), it attracts the gang to their house. The leader threatens to kill everyone inside the house if the Sandins don't hand over the man. James knows that his security system is not without it's flaws, and the gang can break in, so he decides he must find and catch the stranger roaming around their house and hand him over. His morals, as well as his family's, are put to the test.
The story is reminiscent (and perhaps inspired by) an episode of the original 'STAR TREK' TV series 'The Return of the Archons', from 1967. It revolves around a world, that Kirk and crew visit, which allows a similar annual 12-hour period of lawlessness in order to keep the peace the rest of the year. This idea of purging yourself of violence so you can remain peaceful the rest of the time is an interesting psychological concept and a disturbing one to me. This 12-hour period of violence seems like too great a cost, in my opinion, even if it lowers violence overall. The premise of course is a great social allegory and like all great horror the movie is full of good social commentary. It's of course also, mainly, about 'the haves vs. the have-nots' in society; how those with less money always get screwed over. In this way the film is outstanding. Hawke and Headey are great and so is Burkholder and the scene stealing Wakefield. The directing is decent for a movie like this and the writing is probably the film's highlight. It's a great idea for a horror film (despite it's many holes). The film also offers many different genre fans something. It turns from horror to society message (which most great horror does though) to full blown action 'home invasion film', starring Ethan Hawke as it's action hero. I enjoyed it and I think most horror fans will as well. There is a psychological theory that people who watch a lot of violent films 'purge' themselves of violent thoughts as well; that the more violent films one watches the less likely they are to be violent in life. I don't know if I 100% believe that but it's an interesting idea, kind of like the one presented in this film just less much drastic.
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