Susan Granger’s review of “The Purge: Anarchy” (Universal Pictures)
When you hear audience members cheering for the ferocious killers-on-the-rampage in this ramped-up sequel to last summer’s unexpected sci-fi horror hit, it makes you really wonder about our cultural values today – and society in general.
Set in Los Angeles circa 2023, the action once again takes place during the annual Purge, a 12-hour period every March in which ghoulishly-masked participants can commit all kinds of crimes (rape, theft, murder, etc.) without fear of reprisal or punishment from the government that calls itself the New Founding Fathers of America. Psychologists explain that “having a good cleanse” allows ordinary citizens to indulge their basest aggressive instincts, a cathartic which serves to keep the crime rate and population growth in check for the rest of the year, cut the unemployment rate and enrich the coffers of arms manufacturers.
Urging each other to “stay safe” are an impoverished waitress/single mother, Eva (Carmen Ejogo), and her rebellious 16 year-old daughter Cali (Zoe Soul), who discover to their horror that Eva’s elderly father (John Beasley) has sold his life to an organization that arranges private Purging parties for wealthy thrill-seekers. Then there’s a stranded, squabbling yuppie couple, Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez). Unfortunately, they all get caught outside during the mayhem-filled night, so it’s up to a stoic loner, Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), a police sergeant seeking vengeance on those responsible for the death of his young son, to shelter them in his weapons-laden, armor-plated car which, predictably, becomes disabled, forcing the terrified group to try to make their way on foot through the carnage to seek fortified shelter.
Once again written and directed by James DeMonaco, the plot moves out of a barricaded suburban home-invasion scenario and onto mean, urban streets, delving into racial and class divides, twisting surprisingly when a Black Panther’ish radical, Carmelo (Michael K. Williams, clad in John Lennon spectacles and a beret), leads militant, anti-Purge followers.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Purge: Anarchy” is a simplistic, survivalist 3, satirizing American bloodlust.
