So whilst I was in Texas visiting my girlfiend I saw commercials for this movie A LOT. It interested me a great deal. I didn't actually think it be that good but the premise fascinated me.
Having seen the movie now...it wasn't that good. However I did not hate it. Let me explain a little.
Oh and this contains
(SPOILER)So the first major flaw in the movie is a subplot that ultimately goes nowhere. Said subplot is the daughter Zoey dating a guy named Henry. Now Henry chose to use the "commit any crime and get off free" night as an excuse to murder Zoey's disapproving father. Unfortunately for him, dear old dad is quicker on the draw than him and Henry dies. Now a good twenty or so minutes is spent on this and after Henry dies...that's it. THe actual plot of the movie gets going. Maybe it was an attempt to highlight such a rather mundane affair as a disapproving dad works in the world of the movie? I dunno. WHatever the case, it just detracts from the overall story.
The real plot kicks in when the son saves an injured man from his gang of would-be killers. This in turn makes the killers came after the family so they can reclaim their target. Now the dad, in order to save his family, initially chooses to sacrifice this stranger to the bloodthirsty gang. He changes his mind later when his whole family looks on at him in disgust. YOu can kinda see him thinking "even if we survived tonight, how can we actually live with ourselves?"
Anyway, the head of this bloodthirsty gang is the star of the movie. In an overall subdued cast, Rhys Wakefield's "Polite Stranger" is a gem. He is over=the=top, he is lovable and he is creepy. Even if you don't find his character creepy, it's disturbing when you consider the context of the world at large. This is what a lot of kids will turn into in the world of The Purge. But really, I can not stress enough that the best thing about this movie and the only reason to see it is Wakefield. The crazed smile, the sweet and yet chilling dialog, the time when he casually kills one of his friends for being rude, this guy was perfection.
And then he died. In a decently foreshadowed twist, the neighbors turn on the family. After saving the family (or what remains of it as Polite Stranger had just killed the father) from the gang, they decide to murder the wife and two kids. Only the stranger the son saved earlier rushes to the rescue and everyone lives until The Purge (the event and the movi) is concluded.
An unbelievable if neat premise backs up a movie with some weak subplots and way too many "saved at the last moment by gunfire" scenes. For my part, the world of The Purge was the most intriguing part of the movie and Wakefield's Stranger was the only redeeming aspect of what we actually saw.
Just watch the movie when it comes to DVD or Blu-ray. I'll get the blu-ray just for Wakefield's sexiness.
