The Purge (2013)

A family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legalized.

Director:

James DeMonaco

Writer:

James DeMonaco

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	James Sandin
Lena Headey	...	Mary Sandin
Max Burkholder	...	Charlie Sandin
Adelaide Kane	...	Zoey Sandin
Edwin Hodge	...	Bloody Stranger
Rhys Wakefield	...	Polite Leader
Tony Oller	...	Henry
Arija Bareikis	...	Mrs. Grace Ferrin
Tom Yi	...	Mr. Cali
Chris Mulkey	...	Mr. Halverson
Tisha French	...	Mrs. Halverson
Dana Bunch	...	Mr. Ferrin
Peter Gvozdas	...	Dr. Peter Buynak
John Weselcouch	...	Freak Interrupting
Alicia Vela-Bailey	...	Female Freak

Storyline

In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-including murder-becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking. When an intruder breaks into James Sandin's (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear a family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.

---

Plot Keywords:

one night | stabbed in the chest | 2020s | shot in the chest | written by director | 

---

Taglines:

One night a year, all crime is legal.

---

Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong disturbing violence and some language

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 June 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vigilandia

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$34,058,360 (USA) (7 June 2013)

Gross:

$62,791,310 (USA) (28 June 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blumhouse Productions, Platinum Dunes, Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the opening scenes, Mary is seen making dinner with Italian dressing on the counter. Soon after, Mary is seen reaching in the fridge after talking to Charlie and retrieves a bottle of the same Italian dressing.

---

Quotes

Mary Sandin: [siren to signal the end of the Purge] Get the fuck out of my house.

---

Connections

Featured in ReelzChannel Specials: Richard Roeper's Red Hot Summer (2013)

---

Soundtracks

"Clair de Lune"
Written by Claude Debussy
Arranged by Alfred Reed
Performed by Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.
Published by Klams Music & Co, Inc.

User Reviews

A good idea executed poorly, but not a total failure.

A spic and span not-so-distant future (2022 to be precise) where unemployment is down and so is the crime rate. However, this pleasant depiction of society has a price; a night for a seemingly necessary catharsis where all emergency services suspend their aid and authority enabling all crimes in a 12 hour time slot to go unpunished, including murder. This night is called The Purge. Some people take to the streets and cause chaos; some take it as an opportunity to kill their boss or perhaps even their neighbours in the name of "cleansing themselves of the need to commit crime". The night of The Purge isn't without its detractors. The people and families who do not participate simply hideaway in their locked down house that for this one night will serve as a suburban defensive fortress.

Enter James Sandin, (Hawke) a successful security salesman who sells the gear to protect people's houses during the Purge including most of his neighbours. He's a family man who lives with his wife (Lena Headey) an anxious young son (Max Burkholder) and a rebellious daughter (Adelaide Kane). The family don't wish to indulge in the nights destructive activities, despite owning guns in the case of an emergency; they simply would like to stay in and watch a film whilst taking an occasional glance at the CCTV monitors. However, when James's son spots an injured man pleading for help on the monitors he sympathizes and disables the houses security to let the man in for safety. It turns out the man was being chased by a mob and they're going to stick around outside the house wearing creepy masks until the injured man is given back or "sacrificed". Will the Sandins give him up or will they make a stand against The Purge?

The Purge was directed by James DeMonaco whose writing credits include The Negotiator (1998) and the Assault On Precinct 13 remake (2005). Similarities between the film at hand and these previously made films show as they all have themes of a siege, people taking refuge, hostages and characters being isolated, Ethan Hawke also starred in Assault too. Although The Purge proposes a very interesting concept that is likely to make audience members wonder what they would do on such a night, it lacks certain credibility and needs much more exposition to develop its apparently foreseeable future. At a mere 85 minutes in a film where the action gets under way pretty fast, it's perhaps a little too trim. The Purge would have benefited if time was spent showing more of how it had 'supposedly' benefited society as a whole (think of a less extreme of the crimeless future presented in Demolition Man). Instead, we can only presume that a night of murderous mayhem is totally justified. Another problem is the futuristic setting. The Purge definitely looks modern but there just isn't enough of an advanced aesthetic to sell it as a diegesis of the future. One could argue that the film didn't really need to be futuristic, just maybe an alternate time. But whether audiences would buy that is another question.

Ethan Hawke is suitably apt in the lead role as head of the house but Lena Headey gives a great performance as the sweet housewife terrorized by the events. It's a complete overhaul from the villainous Ma-Ma she portrayed in 2012's underrated Dredd. Rhys Wakefield appears in the main antagonistic role; he definitely had the face for it baring a Patrick Bateman crossed with The Joker look but overall the character lacked subtlety and appeared brainwashed by the purge to an unbelievable extent. This is either the result of bad characterisation or just little exposition regarding the effects of the purge.

Ultimately, The Purge bares glaring similarities to Assault On Precinct 13 and is a series of shock action moments; some genuinely work (a brutal scrap in a games room) but others mostly coming off trite and ineffective (how many times can a main character be in jeopardy before another saves them right before the final blow?). It's definitely an interesting premise that says a lot about the world we live in today, but just not executed to a credible effect and often features many lapses in logic. Overall, these aspects make the film a slight disappointment but not a total failure.