Review of The Purge: Anarchy (2014) by Ethan W — 13 Jan 2016

Summary: The Purge: Anarchy has some nice shots, a creepy atmosphere and Frank Grillo's dynamic performance; also, James DeMonaco is becoming in a better director. Sadly, it is still not good enough. 60/100 [C+].

A couple are driving home when their car breaks down just as the Purge commences. Meanwhile, a police sergeant goes out into the streets to get revenge on the man who killed his son, and a mother and daughter run from their home after assailants destroy it. The five people meet up as they attempt to survive the night in Los Angeles. The movie started very well, but some of the characters were a bit annoying and unlikable such as Shane (Zach Gilford), he was so annoying. There was a lack of connection between the audience and Shane. Also, there was another crappy character called Liz (Kiele Sanchez), she is a good actress, but her character was uninteresting. Nobody cared about her story and she is not engaging enough. Then, we have Frank Grillo as Sergeant, he is the star of the film, his performance was great.

Carmen Ejogo performs Eva Sanchez. Ejogo gave a reliable performance and you care about her character. The young actress Zoë Soul performs Cali, her character was smart, strong and sympathetic. The script, camera work and direction are way better in comparison to its predecessor. James DeMonaco is becoming in a better director. The Purge: Anarchy was quite ambitious, but it is still not good enough. The last act was messy and confusing. Some scenes in the final act did not make any sense, everything felt surreal and awkward. Frank Grillo enhanced the film at times, but the movie still lacked a payoff. Also, it is a thriller, so I do not know why they classified this as a horror film. Anarchy is smarter and fresher than its predecessor; but it is still not recommendable enough. [C+].