The Purge: Anarchy Film Review

The Purge: Anarchy (2014), directed by James DeMonaco, is a science fiction and action film that takes place in a dystopian America where all crime is legal for 12 hours once a year. I liked this film more than the first Purge because it felt bigger, more exciting, and had more to say about society. It kept me on the edge of my seat with its intense action scenes and scary look at what happens when laws no longer exist.

What I found most engaging about this movie was the setting and the story. Unlike the first film, which mostly took place in one house, Anarchy shows us what the Purge looks like in the streets of Los Angeles. The group of strangers trying to survive together made the story more interesting, and I cared about what happened to them. Frank Grillo’s character, Sergeant Leo Barnes, was my favorite because he was tough but also showed a lot of heart. The cinematography was very effective, with dark lighting and shaky camera shots that made the chaos feel real.

One strength of the film is how it mixes action with deeper themes about poverty, justice, and violence. The costumes, like the creepy masks of the Purge participants, and the damaged city sets helped create a scary atmosphere. The soundtrack added tension and made key scenes more powerful. A weakness, however, is that some parts of the story felt a little slow or underdeveloped. The villain, Big Daddy, was also disappointing because he didn’t feel very complex or scary compared to the rest of the dangers in the movie.

One particular scene in The Purge: Anarchy that really stuck out to me was when the group is captured by masked men and taken to an underground auction where wealthy people bid for the chance to hunt them. This scene was shocking because it showed how the Purge isn’t just about random chaos, but that it's also being used by the rich to exploit the poor for entertainment. The cold, sterile environment of the auction, with the rich dressed in formal clothes and calmly placing bids, created a chilling contrast to the violence about to happen. It made me think about how power and money can corrupt people and how the film’s “what if” scenario isn’t so far from reality. This scene stood out because it wasn’t just action; it also carried a strong message about class inequality and human cruelty. And that even during the Purge which is suppose to level the ground between all citizens that people who are more privilaged than others will always have the upper hand and can prevail against those who have less, even in the eyes of murder, blood, and death it is understood that they only thing that can protect you in this world is money.

Overall, The Purge: Anarchy is a thrilling and thought-provoking movie that shows the "what-ifs" of how far society is willing to go for a cause. It combines action, suspense, and social commentary to keep the audience hooked. It made me think about how quickly society could fall apart and how far people might go to survive. It shows a visual representation of how it would look in the eyes of citizens to go about survival and puts great emphasis and the kill or be killed mentality. 

I would rate the film a 7/10.