Search
Search results
JT (287 KP) rated The Purge (2013) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Ethan Hawke has been here once before, and when you look deep into the mechanics of The Purge it almost mirrors the remake of Assault on Precinct 13. Director James DeMonaco who wrote the script for the latter has taken the premise of that film and given it a more personal feel, something which we could resonate with.
The year is 2022, Ethan Hawke plays James Sandin who’s made his wealth by selling security systems that help protect people against the yearly purge. The purge is a twelve hour long free for all in which the government has allowed all crime to be legal, with the intention that people will get it out of their system.
As a result crime has dropped and unemployment is at an all time low so something must be working? Of course not everyone takes part and those who choose not to, stay behind the confines of their locked down house waiting for the mayhem to pass.
This particular night for the Sandin’s runs like any other normal purge. They sit down to eat, discuss their day and then wait for the alarm to sound which begins the carnage. When Sandin’s young son lets in a stranger looking to take shelter from a group of mask wearing savages events take a turn for the worse.
Lead by the smiling Rhys Wakefield who should take credit from his performance and one so disturbing that it could be compared to Michael Pitt in Funny Games. The gang are desperate to get their hands on the stranger the Sandin’s are harbouring and so give them an ultimatum, “send him out or we’re coming in”.
And so a decision must be made, do they turn themselves into the people on the outside who have no remorse when it comes to killing or do they stand and fight? The Purge is confused as it is disjoined and the script is weak leaving the tension to do the talking which is filled with horror cliches left, right and centre.
From tight shots of darkened corridors to things lurking in the shadows out of sight it rarely delivers a unique treat. The cast is not particularly strong, Wakefield aside. Hawke moves through the gears but offers nothing that we haven’t already seen before. Leaving the majority of the dramatic turns to his on screen wife, Lena Headey .
Despite the short run time, the film is practically over before it has started and it even tries to save itself with a twist ending which you could see coming a mile off.
The year is 2022, Ethan Hawke plays James Sandin who’s made his wealth by selling security systems that help protect people against the yearly purge. The purge is a twelve hour long free for all in which the government has allowed all crime to be legal, with the intention that people will get it out of their system.
As a result crime has dropped and unemployment is at an all time low so something must be working? Of course not everyone takes part and those who choose not to, stay behind the confines of their locked down house waiting for the mayhem to pass.
This particular night for the Sandin’s runs like any other normal purge. They sit down to eat, discuss their day and then wait for the alarm to sound which begins the carnage. When Sandin’s young son lets in a stranger looking to take shelter from a group of mask wearing savages events take a turn for the worse.
Lead by the smiling Rhys Wakefield who should take credit from his performance and one so disturbing that it could be compared to Michael Pitt in Funny Games. The gang are desperate to get their hands on the stranger the Sandin’s are harbouring and so give them an ultimatum, “send him out or we’re coming in”.
And so a decision must be made, do they turn themselves into the people on the outside who have no remorse when it comes to killing or do they stand and fight? The Purge is confused as it is disjoined and the script is weak leaving the tension to do the talking which is filled with horror cliches left, right and centre.
From tight shots of darkened corridors to things lurking in the shadows out of sight it rarely delivers a unique treat. The cast is not particularly strong, Wakefield aside. Hawke moves through the gears but offers nothing that we haven’t already seen before. Leaving the majority of the dramatic turns to his on screen wife, Lena Headey .
Despite the short run time, the film is practically over before it has started and it even tries to save itself with a twist ending which you could see coming a mile off.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Purge (2013) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019
Ethan Hawke is no stranger to the horror genre, in 2009 he starred in the Australian vampire flick Daybreakers, a film which promised so much, and delivered relatively little. Now he teams up with director James DeMonaco in a horror film that promises to be anything but ordinary; The Purge, but can it live up to its exciting trailer?
The Purge plays out like a poor-man’s Hunger Games. In the year 2020, America is prospering, crime is at an all-time low and unemployment is at 1%. The reason? Once a year, for twelve hours, all crime is legal and people across US can commit any atrocities they wish.
Ethan Hawke plays James Sandin, a security salesman who has capitalised on the public’s fear of being ‘purged’ by selling hi-tech safety equipment to the rich to ensure they stay safe. Lena Headey plays his wife Mary and his two children, Charlie and Zoe are played by Max Burkholder and Adelaide Kane respectively. In a moment of madness after the commencement of the annual purge, a ‘target’ (Edwin Hodge) is let into their home causing all hell to break loose.
Borrowing heavily from other ‘home invasion’ horror films such as When a Stranger Calls and The Strangers, The Purge really ‘gets going’ about two-thirds in when an army of killers swoop on Ethan Hawke’s impressive property looking for their ‘target.’ The family have one hour to reply before they all become ‘targets.’
Unfortunately, an exciting and unique premise is completely lost in a film that is riddled with many horror clichés, some of them blatantly obvious, (woman opening fridge door, door closes and harmless child shocks woman), some not so obvious. This is a terrible shame as the idea of all crime being legal is ridiculously exciting, but after about 40 minutes, we are locked in the Sandin’s home as they play cat and mouse with an array of forgettable serial killers and the original story is lost.
Another problem is the acting. Competent is the only word to describe it; Ethan Hawke is good in his role and his stern demeanour which has earned him so many acting jobs in the past is in full force here, but you can’t help feeling he was a budgetary decision rather than being who the producers actually wanted. Lena Headey seems to phone in a rather wooden performance, whilst the two kids do marginally better. By far the stand-out here is Rhys Wakefield, credited only as ‘Polite Stranger’ who is excellent and terrifying as equal measure; his facial expressions are enough to make you wince.
Overall, The Purge is an exciting film that delivers some unique thrills and spills mixed in with the usual horror clichés. Unfortunately, it doesn’t deliver on its unique and exciting starting point and delves into a generic slasher film around 45 minutes in. A stand-out performance from one of the cast isn’t enough to lift the acting above mediocre and the Sandin family are as characters, frightfully dull. It’s definitely worth a watch, but don’t let the trailer fool you; it’s not as unique as you might expect.
The new review system breaks down the film into categories allowing you, as the readers to see just where I have awarded points to the film. It is still in a testing stage, so if there are any categories you think could improve it, please let me know.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2013/05/31/the-purge-review-2013/
The Purge plays out like a poor-man’s Hunger Games. In the year 2020, America is prospering, crime is at an all-time low and unemployment is at 1%. The reason? Once a year, for twelve hours, all crime is legal and people across US can commit any atrocities they wish.
Ethan Hawke plays James Sandin, a security salesman who has capitalised on the public’s fear of being ‘purged’ by selling hi-tech safety equipment to the rich to ensure they stay safe. Lena Headey plays his wife Mary and his two children, Charlie and Zoe are played by Max Burkholder and Adelaide Kane respectively. In a moment of madness after the commencement of the annual purge, a ‘target’ (Edwin Hodge) is let into their home causing all hell to break loose.
Borrowing heavily from other ‘home invasion’ horror films such as When a Stranger Calls and The Strangers, The Purge really ‘gets going’ about two-thirds in when an army of killers swoop on Ethan Hawke’s impressive property looking for their ‘target.’ The family have one hour to reply before they all become ‘targets.’
Unfortunately, an exciting and unique premise is completely lost in a film that is riddled with many horror clichés, some of them blatantly obvious, (woman opening fridge door, door closes and harmless child shocks woman), some not so obvious. This is a terrible shame as the idea of all crime being legal is ridiculously exciting, but after about 40 minutes, we are locked in the Sandin’s home as they play cat and mouse with an array of forgettable serial killers and the original story is lost.
Another problem is the acting. Competent is the only word to describe it; Ethan Hawke is good in his role and his stern demeanour which has earned him so many acting jobs in the past is in full force here, but you can’t help feeling he was a budgetary decision rather than being who the producers actually wanted. Lena Headey seems to phone in a rather wooden performance, whilst the two kids do marginally better. By far the stand-out here is Rhys Wakefield, credited only as ‘Polite Stranger’ who is excellent and terrifying as equal measure; his facial expressions are enough to make you wince.
Overall, The Purge is an exciting film that delivers some unique thrills and spills mixed in with the usual horror clichés. Unfortunately, it doesn’t deliver on its unique and exciting starting point and delves into a generic slasher film around 45 minutes in. A stand-out performance from one of the cast isn’t enough to lift the acting above mediocre and the Sandin family are as characters, frightfully dull. It’s definitely worth a watch, but don’t let the trailer fool you; it’s not as unique as you might expect.
The new review system breaks down the film into categories allowing you, as the readers to see just where I have awarded points to the film. It is still in a testing stage, so if there are any categories you think could improve it, please let me know.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2013/05/31/the-purge-review-2013/