Did someone cut you off in traffic? Did someone harm your child? Your parents? Your spouse? Imagine, if you will, a future world where you are given one night, every year, to right all of the wrongs against you whether real or imaginary. Imagine, if you will, a world where murder and mayhem were the government’s way of reducing the crime rate. The Purge: Anarchy propels you into that world.

It’s the year 2023 and the government is run by the New Founding Fathers. Talk about gun control! The government has discovered a way to lower the crime rate and decrease the amount of jail space required to house criminals. The movie takes us to Los Angeles on the night of the sixth annual purge. Shane (Zach Gilford) and his wife Liz (Kiele Sanchez) are on a rush to get to their family and safety. Mean while, Eva (Carmen Ejoga) and her daughter Cali (Zoe Sole) are safe in their home. We find Leo, the Sergeant (Frank Grillo) preparing a personal arsenal. Who knows what the night will hold? One person in this ill-fated group, however, has a deep secret that he is taking great pains to hide. After all, what would a thriller be if it there weren’t at least one in the crowd with a hidden agenda? Just what is his secret? I don’t want to give it away! What we do know, however, is that the night will be filled with terror and extreme danger. Exciting!!!

The Purge: Anarchy is a thriller-action adventure that has us following the group through the night as they dodge persistent killers for twelve hours. The night is crazy as knife-wielding, mask-wearing crazy citizens take over the streets.

The Purge: Anarchy is filled with twists, turns and “jump out of your seat” moments, but I do have to talk about the softer side for a second. I really did enjoy the blossoming relationship between the members of the group in the most unlikely of situations. One of the features I liked best about the movie was the character development, even in a short amount of time I had already picked out my “favorites.” On the flip-side, however, I feel that quite a bit of the backstory may have ended up on the cutting room floor so we have to infer certain parts of the characters development.

While I enjoyed both Purge Films, I think this second film has a definite edge over the first. The first Purge film took place entirely within one home. This version gives us a greater idea of the magnitude of the night. It also delves into a greater sense of the socio-economic differences between the rich and poor.

As far as thriller-action movies, I rate this movie 4 out of 5.



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The Purge: Anarchy

I used my own funds to purchase tickets for this movie and have not been compensated in any way for this review.