Formerly titled VIGILANDIA, the new thriller THE PURGE, poses the premise that one night a year you can commit any crime (crimes?) you want within a 12 hour timespan, which is meant to do…well, I don’t know what. It basically serves the purpose of not allowing the police to interfere with a movie plot, which is basically another home invasion pic like THE STRANGERS or the upcoming YOU’RE NEXT. That isn’t to say that THE PURGE doesn’t look interesting, it’s just not the most polished rock in the collection.
Starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey as a couple who have a well-secured home for the 12-hour “purge” and basically settle in to wait out the madness, the doors are opened, quite literally, when their daughter lets in a stranger on the run, which seemingly invites a slew of evildoers to wreck havoc on the “innocent” family.
Check it out:
I’m a big fan of Hawke and Headey, so the stock jumps up a bit just with their involvement. I’m growing weary of the Guy Fawkes-ish masked psychopaths with no true agenda other than murder/death/kill on the brain, though. Perhaps THE PURGE will have a different take?
Here’s the synopsis:
Given the country’s overcrowded prisons, the U.S. government begins to allow 12-hour periods of time in which all illegal activity is legal. During one of these free-for-alls, a family must protect themselves from a home invasion.
THE PURGE, directed by James DeMonaco, begins on May 31, 2013.