Good From A Psychological Standpoint

Rating: 7/10 (15 October 2013)

While we've seen the generalities of the plot before, this one has some sharp twists and enough psychodrama to keep you watching. Ethan Hawke is a home security salesman with the typical family--wife, teenage son and daughter. Again we see more clichéd characters, in that the daughter is a rebellious, burgeoning slut and the son a disassociated genius. One night during "The Purge"--a 12-hour period when all crime is legal (the details aren't important)--the family settles in for what they assume will be a quiet night of impenetrable protection. Things change when the son makes a big-time mistake--and I won't bore you with additional plot points--and the family's fight for survival is on.
What this film lacks is that we don't see the mayhem that occurs elsewhere and the way the family battles their attackers, makes the escapes in Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels seem plausible. The villains are a clichéd cross between those in clockwork orange and Precinct 13. I do however, commend the director for what is something of a double anti- hero point of view. The ending is far from a cookie cutter pattern and gets things wrapped up neatly without being forced. A good date movie as far as thrillers go, not a lot of gore and a couple of intense scenes that might leave the ladies shaking their heads.