Director James DeMonaco
Genre Action | Horror | Sci-Fi
Cast Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson, Raymond J. Barry
Rating R
Release Date July 1st, 2016
“Years after sparing the man who killed his son, former police sergeant Barnes has become head of security for Senator Charlie Roan, a Presidential candidate targeted for death on Purge night due to her vow to eliminate the Purge.”
The Purge: Election Year serves as the third and newest entry in The Purge film series, with the first film releasing in 2013. Writer and director, James DeMonaco, is back at the helm, as he also wrote and directed the first two films. His previous work includes writing credits for The Negotiatior and Assault on Precinct 13. Frank Grillo made his debut in the second film, The Purge: Anarchy and is back for The Purge: Election Year, teaming up with co-star Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost). The film also stars Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump, Justified), Joseph Julian Soria (Max), and Betty Gabriel.
The Purge: Election Year proves itself as a worthy sequel, building on a creative premise by offering fans a superior script, more gratuitous violence, and some great acting. It may say something about my sick and twisted sense of entertainment but I have genuinely enjoyed all 3 of The Purge films. But seriously, if people would get off their high horse for two seconds they would agree that it is an interesting and creative premise that allows our imaginations to run wild. At the end of the day it is just a movie and I'm not buying into that lunatic who went on a killing spree claiming he was influenced by the films. He made some very, very stupid decisions and wanted something to blame (rant over). The Purge: Election Year advances the overall direction of the film series and focuses a bit more on the political side of things but don’t worry, this film is anything but boring. I was entertained the entire time and even though I do feel like they could have expanded on the excessive violence related to The Purge (there goes my twisted imagination again), what they did worked and it worked well.
As far as acting goes, The Purge films somehow manage to pull double-duty sort of speak, meaning they offer viewers a talented cast even though they could have still made an entertaining film with lesser actors. I am glad they went the route they have! The first film had Ethan Hawke, the second film introduced Frank Grillo, who returns for The Purge: Election Year and he does not miss a beat! I really enjoy him as an actor and the level of intensity he brings to his role really helps to intensify the seriousness of the danger the characters find themselves in. This guy thrives as a straight-laced military type character and this film is no exception. Former Lost star, Elizabeth Mitchell, is a welcomed addition (she made her debut in the Angelina Jolie film, Gia) and she is great. I was very impressed by the chemistry between Grillo and Mitchell and felt like they played off each other quite well.
The Purge: Election Year satisfied my craving that has been burning hot since the first film hit theaters in 2013. Although I do consider this to be the best overall film in the series, I think The Purge: Anarchy took more advantage of the actual Purge activities within the city, which was a nice touch. It would have been nice to see them expand on that expectation within this film. The bottom line is simple, if you enjoyed the first two films, The Purge: Election Year will not disappoint and will instill even more faith in James DeMonaco and the future of The Purge films.
The Purge: Election Year is now available VOD and streaming on FX Now. Watch the official trailer below.