|
The Purge
| Released |
31 May 2013 |
| Director |
James DeMonaco |
Starring
|
Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaine Kane, Max Burkholder, Edwin Hodge |
| Writer(s) |
James DeMonaco |
Producer(s)
|
Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller, Sebastian Lemercier |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
85 minutes |
| Genre |
Horror, sci-fi, thriller |
| Rating |
15A |
|
|
Family fight club.
Later this summer, Ethan Hawke will reunite with Julie Delpy for the conclusion of their idyllic movie romance in Before Midnight. I imagine that for Hawke, this moment of respite can’t come too soon; the poor man must be mentally exhausted from his work with Blumhouse productions, which last year terrorised him in Sinister and now subjects him to a much worse night than he had in Before Sunrise. Much worse.
The year is 2022 and the United States of America is enjoying an economic boom under the leadership of the New Founding Fathers, a group who have enforced a radical new scheme for the prevention of crime by making it completely legal for one 12 hour period each year - a night of chaos known as The Purge. James Sandin (Hawke) has capitalised on this phenomenon by selling expensive, high-tech security systems to those who can afford it. On the night of The Purge, James and his family settle in behind their metal shutters and are safe until son Charlie allows an injured stranger into their house.
I was looking forward to this one. The mechanics of the plot may not stand up under too much scrutiny but it’s the kind of high concept that I find irresistible as a fan of The Twilight Zone - I could almost imagine Rod Serling reading the introduction. And for the first forty-five minutes or so, it delivers on its interesting pitch. Opening with grainy CCTV footage of violence in streets around the U.S. before landing in a Stepford-esque community, director James DeMonaco provides us with some striking images; the modern mansions becoming fortresses as shutters descend, a next-door neighbour nonchalantly sharpening a machete in his back garden.
After this promising first act, what follows is something of a disappointment. As the Sandin family find themselves under siege and resolve to fight their way out, things get a little rushed and the sinister intruders start to be dispatched in an almost offhand manner. Fans of gore might find some fun in this but the tension of the first half is lost. Nevertheless I would still recommend The Purge for its intriguing concept - it might lose its way but it doesn’t outstay its welcome.
-
Linda O’Brien |
