Good Idea to A Film That Should Have Been Better

Rating: 6/10 (29 March 2015)

This is a film that was marketed with a smart idea - in the near future America has legalised all crime including murder for one night only as a form of cathartic relief . Interesting idea ripe for all types of social commentary . That is until you actually get round to watching the film itself and discover it's merely used as a plot device to set up the story which is one of these stories you've seen before via ASSUALT ON PRECINCT 13 which itself is a reworking of RIO BRAVO . Nothing wrong with this in principle since every film you've ever seen is based upon something else . The problem is THE PURGE is never as good as it could have been
Right away when you give the premise itself you start thinking would you be able to trust anyone if they're allowed to kill , rape or maim you or your loved ones ? The logical thing to do for the average middle class American would be to buy a plane ticket to Canada or Mexico the day before the purge and fly back afterwards . On second thoughts going to Mexico might a case of out of the frying pan in to the fryer but Canada would be a good bet . Just lock up your home with shutters and Canada here we come for a relaxed weekend . This however doesn't occur to the Sandin family or any of the other characters in the film . The Sandins are wholesome middle class middle America and are complete idiots . What essentially happens is what Roger Ebert describes as "the idiot plot" ie in order for the plot to progress the characters in the film have to do idiotic things . Of course many films suffer from this but are often able to disguise it .- THE PURGE doesn't
This is a pity because I remember wanting to see this down to the fact the idea behind seemed very clever . The ideas behind it aren't very well developed or executed and while it's tense and compelling in parts its potential falls short of what could have been