THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR (6.5 out of 10) Written and Directed by James DeMonaco, Starring Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson, Joseph Julian Soria, Betty Gabriel, Terry Serpico, Edwin Hodge; Rated R for “disturbing bloody violence and strong language,” Running time 105 min, In wide release July 1, 2016.
Looking for a violent mess with a social and political agenda equally as subtle? Then this is your film.
The third film in The Purge series could not be better timed if it was planned this way, but given the tremendous lead time necessary to write, shoot, edit, and distribute a film, writer/director James DeMonaco here looks more like a prophet than a filmmaker. Of course, the issues he’s ruminated on in his previous Purge films have been simmering for a while– and perhaps our current political zeitgeist is the inexorable end of those issues?
It’s also an easy jumping-in point for those who may have missed the first two, but want to know what all the hub-bub is over.
Leo Barnes (Grillo) is back from the second film, where he almost threw away his humanity by purging and murdering those responsible for the death of his son. Seeking an end to the barbaric practice, he is now head of security for political idealist Senator Roan (Mitchell) who is running for President on a platform of eliminating the yearly purge. But because the “New Founding Fathers” aren’t having any of that, they arrange an assassination attempt on the senator on Purge Night, Fleeing into the streets, she has to survive the night along with the help of some good-hearted locals just trying to protect their deli from looters. But caught between the neo-nazi mercenaries hired to hunt her down, the purgers, “murder tourists” who have come from across the globe the engage in the purge, and then enigmatic Dante Bishop who has his own plans to end the violence by fighting fire with fire.
There are some good twists and turns, but this isn’t rocket science. What it is, however, is giant bloody fun with a heaping helping of social commentary. Yes, the purge predominantly targets poor minorities and advantages the rich, who don’t have to pay for social services if the poor all kill each other every year. And while Senator Roan looks like Hillary Clinton, she sounds more like Bernie Sanders– but the candidate whose presence is most felt in this film is Donald Drumpf.
At the end of the film, it feels far more like a cautionary tale of “Don’t do this, America,” like it know full well what the stakes are in our current election.
But even if you don’t subscribe to the film’s subtle-as-a-bazooka social commentary, you’ll likely enjoy some big dumb, violent fun. Part of the film series’ meta-commentary seems to be about why it is we go see violent movies like this in the first place– is it to purge those nasty emotions from ourselves? If you get catharsis or enjoyment out of watching creative ways to inflict horrific violence, you will have some fun here.
And yes, at one point someone breaks out a guillotine. Again, not subtle in its messaging.
Purge and purify, friends!
6.5 out of 10