A stranger escorts four stranded people through
a dangerous city on the night of the annual Purge. HORROR
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The Purge: Anarchy (2014)Written and Directed by James DeMonaco
Starring Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zoë Soul, Kiele Sanchez, Zach Gilford, Justina Machado, Jack Conley, Michael Kenneth Williams Sequel to 2013's The Purge |
Now this is what I'm talking about. The Purge: Anarchy vastly improves upon the established mythology of the first film, showing us the widespread effects of the Purge. Plus, how underrated and engaging is Frank Grillo as an actor? He's one of the best character actors working today, from his MCU role as Crossbones to his leading role in Boss Level earlier this year, the man is a treasure to watch. He leads a decent cast as he escorts four unlucky souls through the city on the night of the Purge.
It's one year later, and the sixth annual Purge is underway. A man known only as Sergeant (Grillo) has a job to do, but before he can do that job, he has a crisis of conscience and rescues four people during the Purge. First, waitress Eva (Ejogo) and her teenage daughter Cali (Soul). Next, separated couple Liz (Sanchez) and Shane (Gilford). The film does a good job establishing all three of these stories before bringing them all together, making you care about the characters, which is crucial for a film like this. As the gang makes their way through the city, they realize the government has soldiers gunning people down to up the Purge numbers. Now there's a mission, and a bad guy to stop. I love the little Most Dangerous Game scene we get towards the end, with the poor forced to fight for their lives while the wealthy watch above, untouchable. This franchise is well-known for essentially being a social commentary on the wealth gap in America. It's not crazy to think we could have a very real Purge in maybe a decade. Hopefully, we can keep it in film, particularly entertaining films like this one. |