Purged of any suspension of disbelief

Rating: 5/10 (29 June 2013)

OK, yes, I know cinema - especially the horror/thriller genre - assumes some reasonable suspension of disbelief as a given. But THE PURGE is a film that makes it so hard for the audience to achieve, it ultimately falls flat on it's face due to the complete illogicality and irrationality of the narrative and the mind-blowingly stupid actions of the characters. In a comedy/spoof you'd just about get away with it. But my guess is, THE PURGE is not intended as a rib-tickler.
The concept of targeted, channelled violence into recreational pursuits as a means of imposing political control through catharsis is a sci-fi mainstay and is nothing new (DEATH RACE 2000, ROLLERBALL, THE RUNNING MAN, etc). That it's a generally ludicrous conceit (go to a UK football match for proof) doesn't matter providing the fictional construct depicting it has some internal logic going for it that enables effective suspension of disbelief. You gotta be able to buy into it.
Here, we are expected to believe that citizens can vent all the anger and violent urges they have suppressed for the rest of the year and let it explode over a twelve hour period. Then, when the time is up, go back to being a law-abiding citizen for another whole year. They can kill, mutilate, slaughter with no psychological ill-effects and carry on as normal. This, we are told, has reduced crime in the US to almost zero and has cut down on poverty and homelessness because it's the poor and homeless who are the main targets for victimisation.
In the UK the current Coalition Government are trying much the same thing with increased taxation and benefit cuts instead of outright mass homicide. It's sort of backfired, though, and is in fact increasing poverty and homelessness. Maybe they'll see this film and consider the approach for their next election manifesto.
Anyway, the premise is absurd, but I can live with it. What I can't live with is:
1. Hotshot home security genius heading for the top spot at work who has a feeble and next to useless security system installed in his own home.
2. "Intelligent" techno-wizard son who overrides the security system on Purge Night to allow sanctuary to a bleeding black guy he doesn't know. The streets are awash with homicidal stalkers toting some serious weaponry. He knows this. He also knows the security code - who the hell gave it to him and why? Put yourself in this kid's position. Wouldn't you at least mention your plan to your parents first, considering everyone's life is on the line? What, no discussion? Just do it? Smart kid. Really. You just got everyone killed.
3, Teenie daughter who, once an unknown person with an unknown agenda is loose in the house on the most horrific and deadly night of the year, wanders off on her own like some petulant Tinkerbell. OK, arguably she was traumatised by the death of her boyfriend who had just tried to execute her father. But come on, she knows the score. What is she, three?
4. You're a home security hotshot and you don't have a panic room or a feasible defensible position in your home.
5. Once the house is invaded by a bunch of sociopathic killers with guns, axes, knives and cudgels, everyone splits up and wanders around in the dark, rather than staying together in the most secure, defensible area of the house and letting the nutbars come to them and then letting rip with their collective firepower. In the film ZULU there's a reason why the troops at Rorke's Drift didn't randomly wander off separately into the veldt looking for the ZULU warriors. Any ideas?
6. No one looks behind them to see if there is anyone there. Why?
7. Why spend ages duct taping the black guy to a chair rather than just immediately throwing his incapacitated ass out through the door as per the attacker's demands?
I could go on and on, but that's enough or I'll be here for a week.
On the plus side - although the dialogue is largely tripe - the performances by the actors are generally solid, even if their characters are terminally clichéd: model wife, exec husband, hormonal teen daughter, nerdy son, histrionic pantomime villains, token black victim (who just happens to be a homeless, poverty stricken loser and societal pariah). Decent production values for what it is, some well orchestrated fight scenes with accompanying bloodshed and a pleasingly downbeat if slightly preachy and moralising ending.
Although purged of any capacity to engender suspension of disbelief, in fairness it's never boring or tedious, just illogical and frustrating. The germ of a good movie is in place and maybe the proposed sequel will put it to more satisfying use. But then, we know what most sequels are like. Right?