Review: The Purge: Election Year Takes on Washington
By Christopher Ortiz · July 6, 2016
It’s uncommon for a genre film to pull off political commentary – no matter how unsubtle – successfully. This is something the critics have chastised the Purge franchise for in the past, but the third entry in the violent franchise embraces its scathing criticisms and delivers a steady thrill ride at the same time. Commenting directly on our rigged political system, class division and religion, Purge: Election Year succeeds in being a thrilling action film with a diverse set of very likeable characters, along with stand-out moments that leave audiences cheering, groaning, but always gripped to their seats.
What’s also great about this threequel is that it stands out on its own if you haven’t seen the previous films in the franchise – admittedly like me. The storyline remains tight and focused on its premise and satisfyingly does not get preachy with its commentary. Rather, the heroes and villains do their best to achieve their desired goals and the dark, bloody, thrilling events that unfold tell so much by themselves.
This would all be for nothing without a decent premise, though, and Purge: Election Year has a timely one: Leo (Frank Grillo) protects presidential nominee Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) from an assassination attempt by the NFFA, the founders of the annual Purge, because of her vow to eradicate the event from American culture once she’s elected. Given that she was forced to watch the murder of her family 18 years prior to the Purge itself, and that she’s an idealistic woman who fights for the people with smart politics and balls, you’ll constantly acknowledge your heart pounding and fists bumping whenever danger comes her way, especially since their antagonists are not only the simple-minded purgers crawling the streets in clown masks and AK-47s.
Their worst enemy comes in the form of an elite, white supremacist mercenary group led by Earl Danziger (Terry Serpico), hired by Charlie’s political opponent Minister Edwidge Owens. Earl’s arsenal of machine guns, choppers and tactical espionage make him a formidable foe and provide much excitement steadily throughout the 100 minutes of running time, from car chases to indoor shootouts.
Roan and Leo aren’t alone in their struggle, thankfully. Joining them are Joe (Mykelti Williamson) as a humble African-American deli owner who vows to protect his deli, Marcos (Joseph Julian Soria), his capable Mexican assistant from Cuidad Juarez, and EMT Laney (Betty Daniels), an African-American EMT who serves medical treatment to Purge victims. The three are set up thoughtfully and humorously, and they each have backgrounds that merit their heroic actions believable later on. Needless to say, the whole film’s casting not only helps its own commentary on class division and economic inequality, but immerses us wholly, because after all, America is a multicultural, half male-half female society, yet Capitol Hill is a whitewashed old man’s club, and the two groups are at odds in a physical way as we in the real world are in a political way.
The performances range from badass, sweet, sometimes melodramatic, but overall compelling enough to care for each character along for the ride, while Kyle Secor as Minister Owens is granted more time than expected and delivers some strong work that sells the extend of religious influence on American politics both frighteningly and infuriatingly.
As an action-hero, Grillo’s capable of shooting and fist-fighting, though not exactly as a guy walking with a bullet in his shoulder. He lost someone to the Purge before, so we’re convinced on his dedication to Charlie’s safety more than its being his job. Charlie, thankfully, is never a damsel in distress; she helps him fight and her intense ideals later on determine the outcome of the whole film. Elizabeth Mitchell plays her sincerely, with the right charismatic presence a presidential candidate needs and never has us doubt her character’s ambitious objectives.
She’s the real hero of the film and reminds us that while everyone is complaining about how Jurassic World’s assistant-baby-sitter getting eaten was a subliminal assault to women everywhere (while it’s still fine for all men to be random targets), this year’s Purge has diverse, compelling female characters that determine the fate of their own world and whom you can easily root for.
Purge: Election Year isn’t for everyone. It’s got a scary premise that immerses you from the first frame and parallels contemporary society so much you can’t help but feel it’s possible for a Purge to exist as much as a Battle Royale can probably exist in Japan. The film’s action scenes are also bloody, with perfectly-timed jump scares and a gritty feel that doesn’t relent until the end. And devout Christians and gun-rights activists might troll the Hollywood servers as much as Men’s Rights Activists are still complaining about Mad Max: Fury Road. However, plenty of heroic moments for a diverse group of very likeable, relatable characters and thrilling action scenes grounded on a solid premise make Purge: Election Year the right kind of summer movie to watch with your friends, and it definitely will convince you to vote in November.
