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.
Writer-director James DeMonaco’s dim nihilism (apparently criminal acts are never spontaneous) is both tenuous and tedious.
Ingenious thriller.
There are some great ideas at play but it doesn't quite hang together, sometimes sacrificing logic for shock value.
A small-scale science fiction/action/horror picture with some smarts – but likely to confirm all your prejudices about gun-loving Americans.
If you can locate a crane that's big enough to suspend your disbelief, then The Purge is horribly enjoyable.
Upright American citizens claiming to be "cleansed" of hatred by murdering looks foolish unless it's being played as satire – and this ain't satire.
The desire to Say Something through the megaphone of a suspense flick may be laudable on paper, but The Purge deafens us with too much ugly static to make any audible point.
Hawke gamely rolls up his sleeves to play action hero, but the film doesn't develop its one good idea so much as stumble around in the dark with it for 85 minutes, crashing noisily into the furniture.
It's an excuse for a great deal of blood-letting rather than an occasion for ethical or political reflection.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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