Following on from last year’s sleeper hit, The Purge: Anarchy ups the action and tension, but is it any good? Find out with our review right here.
The Purge was a big surprise in 2013. Starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Hedley, the film had a quite brilliant and original concept – for one night a year in the USA, all crime including murder is legal. The Purge concentrated on one family defending their home from a gang of killers. The sequel sees a group of people stuck on the streets during The Purge, fighting their way through gangs in order to survive.
Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) leaves his home armed to the teeth, he is out to purge, but not in the tradition sense, he just wants revenge on someone who has wronged him. He soon helps two separate groups of people and they find themselves on the run.
Like the original, The Purge builds on the concept of a crime-free night. There are conspiracies regarding the government inventing the holiday so they can kill the poor and so criminals kill one another. Yet, once again, it’s not a nice night for innocent and generally nice people, as they soon get mixed-up and their lives are at risk.
One interesting inclusion that Anarchy picks up on is that The Purge could also be big business for the wealthy. I’m not going to go into details so not to spoil, but it does spice up the movie somewhat.
Overall, The Purge: Anarchy is a more exciting film than last year’s film. It’s not incredible, but it is both interesting in its themes and exciting in parts. Grillo does well with his role (as do the other actors) and he gets to show some emotions too, which was great to behold.