Plot
It is Purge Night 2023. The yearly purge has been going on for close to a decade, with the United States residents still clinging to the belief that they are being ‘cleansed’ during their one night a year of freedom.
Three groups of individuals find themselves ‘outside’ as the 12 hours of ‘purging’ begins. Eva, and her daughter Cali – who have been kidnapped, and are targets for assassination by the evil “Big Daddy”.
Shane and Liz, who have found themselves targets of a biker group, and are on the path to divorce.
Finally there is the mysterious “Sergeant” – who is out for his own mission, and reluctantly happens on the others – and attempts to get them to sanctuary – before finishing his own ‘purge’.
Direction
James Demonaco returns to direct as he also wrote the script. While it does have a ‘bigger’ feel to it, it still feels ‘original’ as it only follows the ideology of The Purge, and none of the original cast. There are plenty of large scale gun fights that should be silly and out of place, but never feel like they are.
Cast/Breakdown
Set in 2023, The Purge has been active for nine years following the changes made by The New Founding Fathers of America (or the NFFA). There are those who are strong ‘pro Purge’ – and those who are strongly opposed.
One strong opponent of the purge is a social media ‘celebrity’ known as Carmelo Johns – who runs the NFFA, and some of the group watch his work throughout the film.
Throughout the opening moments of the film, we are introduced to three “groups”, who will come together throughout the film.
There is Shane and Liz (Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez) – who are a married couple, who have decided to separate. They are harassed moments before the purge begin, by a group anxious for it to begin. Soon after they find themselves stranded on a highway once it does begin after discovering their car has been tampered with by the group. They are purge opposed.
Eva, and her daughter Cali (Carmen Ejogo and Zoe Soul) – are dragged out of their apartment to be murdered by a ‘big bad’ who calls himself Big Daddy. This happens moments’ after discovering Eva’s father has sacrificed himself to a group of wealthy individuals – which will essentially seal his family’s future with a six figure payout for them killing him. they too are ‘purge opposed’.
Finally there is the mysterious “Sergeant” (Frank Grillo) who is ‘pro purge’ – and is out for his own mission for the evening. Thankfully he happens upon the ‘almost’ attack on Eva and Cali, saving them. Shane and Liz find safety in his car, as they dodge the many bullets flying around.
The narrative now begins, where the groups are merged and Sergeant then takes the group to a friend of Eva’s for “sanctuary” and to get a replacement car following the bullet damage to his own.
As safety is hard to find, the group go from ‘place to place’ and finally find themselves being hunted by a oligarchy of elitists (that is the best collective noun I could find to describe them).
The third act tries to add too much into it (Carmelo Jones’ attack on the elitists gives us just a little more of the late Michael K Williams). Then Sergeant’s back story and then his own purge (and why), which is a red herring to the audience for what happens next between the almost forgotten bad guy Big Daddy.
Overall
Solid second entry in the franchise, which shows a different view-piont from other people in the country – and those who ‘support’ it and those who don’t.
Good action sequences, and sound performances with likeable enough characters will help get you through. Solid recommend. The third act tries to add too much, and a little bit of editing could have worked in its favour.
3.5/5
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