
In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-including murder-becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking. When an in... (Full plot summary below)
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In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-including murder-becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking. When an intruder breaks into James Sandin's (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear a family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.
Leave your thoughts about The Purge.
| The New RepublicDavid ThomsonIf The Purge is as far-sighted as Network proved to be, we are in for very ugly times. |
| AALBC.comKam WilliamsA cerebral screamfest certain to give you goosebumps! |
| The Film YapNick RogersFeels like the speculative offspring from a shotgun marriage between real-life, tenuous policies and discordant bluster. From a political point of view, it invites you to the wedding, lets you decide on which side to sit and avoids any sermonizing. |
| Movie ChambersPaul Chambers"The Purge" works as an exercise in suspense. Writer-Director James DeMonaco knows how to generate the chills. |
| About.comRebecca MurrayAll the duct tape in the world couldn't pull this poorly put together snorefest into something resembling an entertaining film. |
| One Guy's OpinionFrank SwietekJust a routine home invasion tale with heavy-handed pretensions to social commentary. |
| Reeling ReviewsLaura Clifforda provocative idea about America's growing economic divide, but [DeMonaco] guts his own premise by both showing his hand too early and obviously, by howling lapses of logic and with weak direction of his actors. |
| Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyThe Purge clearly has a lot on its mind, but it never really manages to express it. |
| Reel Talk OnlineCandice Frederick... though the film struggles to flesh out this rather Dystopian concept (something nearly every futuristic film has these days), it succeeds in its gripping suspense and romantic eye for violence. |
| Assignment XAbbie BernsteinWhile The Purge can be compared to plenty of other movies about families under siege, DeMonaco is good at winding up suspense and keeping the action going. |