American Nightmare 2: Anarchy

In The Purge Anarchy the new founding fathers sanction another murderous cleanse.

The Purge Anarchy revisits the gruesome dystopia in the not so distant future where for twelve hours all sanctioned crime is legal and all rescue services are suspended. The nation is reborn, unemployment and crime are at record lows, all because of the annual night for decriminalized murder to unleash pent up American rage.

Five virtual strangers join together to survive when, after several unrelated but harrowing events, all find themselves on the street and in jeopardy on purge night. There is no security system, minimal defense and there is little hope.

Despite being marketed as a horror film The Purge Anarchy feels more like a thriller. The potential for a despicable act of inhumanity is imminent and occurs frequently throughout the film. Yet, its display is the antithesis of a masturbatory gore fest relishing in the suffering, evocative of torture-porn. Instead, the brutality is appropriately out of focus in the background, almost as an afterthought, consistent with the desensitized society.

The approach of James DeMonaco's direction is on point with the message of the film. He creates a disconcerting feeling with a deserted cityscape, seemingly lit at night by flickering yellow streetlights casting shrouded shadows. Certain scenes are realistically and deliberately shaky and imperfect to draw the audience into the character's peril.

One can not talk about a second installment to a franchise without returning to its predecessor, in this case The Purge. Acclaimed as a novel premise and potentially unsettling look into the primal aspect of human nature, it left something to be desired. The story had so many places it could go that were raw and savage; yet, The Purge was slightly simplistic and flawed but still enjoyable. Once again James DeMonaco took the helm as writer and director of The Purge's sequel Anarchy. This time DeMonaco's execution was able to address criticisms by delving further into concept, but from a different perspective: the working class. In doing so we see a harsher existence, far less idealistic and a more depraved purge night.

The difference between The Purge and The Purge Anarchy is that the active tormenters for this purge are not all unhinged closeted maniacs hiding behind masks. Anarchy takes the end of The Purge and goes more in-depth. Those participating are frustrated and exhausted but ultimately they are people. Most terrifyingly it proposes a hypothetical and disturbingly feasible purge experience for the upper class. The nefarious top 10% obligingly exercise their civic responsibility and now government granted right in style and comfort. The Purge Anarchy is a commentary on society and social inequality in the most gruesome of circumstances.

The film's ability to play into our inner fears, that deep within anyone there is a darkness capable of unspeakable evil, is pivotal to its success. While I wish The Purge Anarchy hadn't tried to tidy the story up and resolve everything I did find it far more realistic and thought provoking than the former.

More reviews of recent releases can be found at our website.

Much better could ever expect! Originally saw in the theater I just wasn't reviewing then, happily enjoying this glorious action/thriller with lots of great madness and creepy gestures. James DeManco's Purge films might not be appreciated much but Anarchy, Election Year and his writing for The Negotiator is so damn good! Such a great concept that is perfectly executed in this adaptation.

In 2023, the Purge Night is about to start for the next 12 hours. A stranger (Frank Grillo) leaves home and drives his car with a mysterious purpose. Meanwhile, the couple Liz (Kiele Sanchez) and Shane (Zach Gilford) are provoked by a masked man. They drive in the highway and their car unexpectedly stops. Soon they find that it was sabotaged by the group of masked man that are waiting for the beginning of the Purge. When it begins, they are hunted down by the masked man. Meanwhile, Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and her daughter Cali (Zoë Soul) find that Eva's father sold himself to a wealthy family since he is a burden to Eva and Cali sine he is sick. Out of the blue, an army invades their building and breaks into their apartment. They are taken to the leader but the stranger decides to save them and kills the soldiers. Meanwhile Liz and Shane hide inside the stranger's car and he decides to help them to survive. However his car is hit by the bullets and he needs another car for his mission. Eva tells that her friend Tanya (Justina Machado) lives a few blocks away and he would borrow her car. Soon the stranger gets involved by the four survivors and helps them during the dangerous night.

"The Purge: Anarchy" is better and better than the first movie since it is an action film in the style of "Warriors", "Escape from New York" and "Hostel". The premise is still stupid, but there is an ironic criticism to the America Society together with lots of action. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Noite de Crime: Anarquia" ("One Night of Crime: Anarchy")

I first saw this in 2014 on a dvd which I own. Revisited it recently with my family.

This is the second installment in The Purge franchise. While the first film was set entirely in one house, this one takes place around the Los Angeles area and shows more of what happens to the surroundings during the purge night.

While many liked this one better than its predecessor, i found the first one more tension filled n shocking.

This one is a good action thriller and has one of my fav actor Frank Grillo, in his first leading role.

This one has more action n the empty roads n alleys gave a creepy feel to it.

The 2013 movie "The Purge" left a bad taste in all of our mouths as nothing more than a pseudo-slasher with a hamfisted plot, poor pacing, and a desperate attempt at "horror." Upon seeing the first trailer for "The Purge: Anarchy," my first and most immediate thought was "we really don't need another one of these." The first film was self-contained and didn't leave any opening for a reasonable sequel. But after seeing a few more commercials and looking into it some more, I decided to give this film the benefit of the doubt and I am NOT disappointed.

The film stands on its own feet much better than the first film did, and mostly because of what it's going for. Instead of trying to be a Horror movie, it becomes a fantastic Thriller/Action film set in a pseudo-apocalyptic future about a group of people trying to survive on a night where it's all-out war on the streets.

A lot of themes are explored -- Human Nature, Fear, Anger, Revenge, Heroism -- in ways that many other movies don't really explore it. And more than that, every small detail is kept in mind throughout the film.

Compared to everything else I've seen so far this year, this is by far the best thriller film to come out. It holds its own and it has a message instead of just being a movie about wanton violence. The action scenes are done well, and the tension is enough to keep interest even in the low parts of the film. Every moment you think is safe leads directly into the next moment of pressure for the main characters, and you can't help but sympathize for the characters who (all but one) don't even want to be stuck out here on this horrid night.

I very highly recommend this film to anyone who likes thrillers or action films with a little bit of psychological horror thrown in.

And a little bit of a tip? Forget everything from the first film. "The Purge" doesn't set up or explain anything that this film doesn't, doesn't add anything to this film, and isn't even worth watching beforehand.

The Purge: Anarchy is a great film in its own right and it's worth watching. My only issue is that the first film couldn't have been more like this.