The Purge: Anarchy

Unpopular confession: I loved The Purge. I think it was a brilliant movie. The thing people don't think about when they complain about the Purge is that it was made on the minuscule budget of 3 million dollars. Ethan Hawk starred for free with a deal to benefit from the profits. It was a compelling concept that had to be made smartly. The only reason people didn't like it is because you had to listen, pay attention, and think about everything being said or hinted at, and people don't want to think. They want a purge, a mindless bloodfest filled with empty brutality. Or they want brainless Bayist explosions... Now I'm going to stop complaining about people who didn't like the first Purge and actually review the second.



It's twelve months after the last purge. America still enjoys a flourishing economy and a crime free society the other 364 days of the year. But what if it's not because the Purge allows people to release their aggression but because the people killed during the Purge are the poor and undesirable? Is it OK to Purge for certain reasons? If you get stuck outside, do you help or raise hell? These are all situations that several people will have to face during this monumental purge. This night their lives will change...if they can survive the night...

I was tentative about Anarchy. It looked like they made the movie people wanted and ignored the message they tried to communicate in the original. I have to say they made both. The street point of view is a much better soapbox and they still offer quite a sermon on class warfare and violence in America. (Side Note: I nominate Frank Grillo as the next Punisher because he is kick butt in this.) It's message hit home especially poignantly as while I walked out the theater I observed a boy no older then 10 walking with his parents talking about how cool the Purge was.   A