Weekly Review -- A time of despair

Speculative fiction has been pretty non-existent in cinema for the past decade. In general, with the possible exception of a few details here and there, this sub-genre has been absent for a while. Enter The Purge, which aims to look at our world's issues through the lens of an autocratic future. Unfortunately, it never manages to get its opinions off the ground, leaving us with a mere shell of a metaphor.

In 2022, the New Founding Fathers of America regime has managed to bring the country's crime and unemployment to a record low. The catch to this utopia is the Purge, an annual 12-hour period during which crime is legal and citizens are allowed to vent anger and hatred through any means necessary. As always, the Sandin family is preparing to sit through the night in their fortress of a home, but when their son decides to let a desperate stranger in, their status changes from observers to targets...

At no point does this film know which direction it is taking. Is it taking the exploitative route, reveling in its own subject matter and escalating into a full-blown, unapologetic slaughterfest? Is it a philosophical piece that utilizes its topic to comment on today's social unease and the state of gun control? Instead of taking a stand, the filmmakers seem confused as to what it is they are attempting to say. A whole lot could have been done with the story and its moral implications. For example, isn't it significant that a gang made up of mostly Caucasians is hunting down an African American man? This element is reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead and its social allegories, but the screenplay completely ignores its potential. The film does tie in nicely with the gun control debate and the prevalence of brutality in "entertainment", but these topics are merely touched upon and not explored. Simply put, the film does not push as many boundaries as it should and, with a concept this powerful, it owes at least that much to the audience.

**HUGE SPOILERS (PLEASE HIGHLIGHT TO READ)**

The plot holes and misses are all over the place. My biggest peeve is the way that the intruders manage to break in. Considering that James had apparently made a fortune selling these security systems, it should take more than a few chains to pull those panels off. Also, is anyone really surprised that the neighbors turned out to be not quite so neighborly? Under these circumstances, no one would be able to trust anyone and everyone would be a sitting duck. Finally, the entire teenage-daughter-in-love element did not work for me. It felt tacked on as an all too convenient way to bring the killing to the Sandin house. I could not for one second believe that the daughter's boyfriend would do what he had done. If the character's motivation had been revenge of some kind, his actions might have been plausible in the context, but deciding to murder his girlfriend's father in cold blood because of his disapproval of their relationship? Even for the Purge, this development is unlikely.

**END OF SPOILERS**

The cast does what they can with a one-dimensional script. Lena Headey shows grit and strength as a mother caught in an impossible situation, while Ethan Hawke is credible as a father who tries to protect his family and Max Burkholder is terrific as a child grappling with adult issues. The film does offer one revelation, in the form of newcomer Rhys Wakefield. Playing the leader of the gang that arrive to claim their prey, Wakefield offers a measured portrayal of a psychotic who has either lost touch with humanity a long time ago or has never had it to begin with. Throughout the proceedings, the character is deceptively polite and charming, needing only one moment to remind the Sandin family to take him very seriously. I hope that Wakefield does not get pigeonholed into playing bad guys after this performance, but I look forward to seeing what he does next.

On the surface, The Purge is an interesting study of human nature and the paradoxical role of savagery in a supposedly civilized society. The frustrating thing about the film, though, is its reluctance to commit to an actual thesis and its refusal to examine any of its provocative ideas in depth. I hope that the upcoming sequel chooses its path wisely and gives the audience much more food for thought. 

4/10