'The Purge: Anarchy' (2014)

Only I could be told to work from home and start it off with a days annual leave... ;o) Sometimes, things just click in the best way although my day off has involved waving goodbye to a sobbing eldest daughter as she went off for her school trip (ok, maybe not the best day off then). After that though, things picked up (well, for me anyway, I hope she's having a good time now...) as I got to chill out, read a bit and watch 'The Purge: Anarchy'.

It feels like ages ago that I posted about 'The Purge', a film that I'd always meant to watch but (as is always the way with me) never seemed to get round to. I've just had a little look back through the blog and November counts as 'ages ago', doesn't it? I think it does, or should do anyway.

I really enjoyed 'The Purge' and told myself that I'd have to watch the other two films as well. Well, it's a little late in coming (which shouldn't surprise you) but here's the next film in the franchise. I think I liked it more than the first one...

One night per year, the government sanctions a 12-hour period in which citizens can commit any crime they wish -- including murder -- without fear of punishment or imprisonment. Leo, a sergeant who lost his son, plans a vigilante mission of revenge during the mayhem. However, instead of a death-dealing avenger, he becomes the unexpected protector of four innocent strangers who desperately need his help if they are to survive the night.

Whereas 'The Purge' focussed on just the one family (and events happening right outside their door), 'The Purge: Anarchy' adopts a much broader approach and shows us a whole city getting to indulge its dark side, for twelve hours, while four people caught outside have to decide whether to trust the cool looking gunman with a habit of just being round the corner when people need to be rescued. And there's no denying it, Frank Grillo's Leo Barnes looks very cool. Grillo also gives us a real hero to get behind, a guy out for revenge but also a guy who can't help but do the right thing, even when he clearly has other places to be and revenge to be taken. Just the right balance of 'tortured' and 'decent', resulting in a hero who isn't just one thing as well as a hero who is more than capable of sending the plot in interesting new directions when you least expect it.

With that 'broader scope' going on, there's a lot more room in 'The Purge: Anarchy' for things to happen... and they do. There are so many explosions, and so much violence, that you will not be surprised at all to see Michael Bay's name pop up in the end credits. That's not a bad thing though when you're looking at a city where anything goes in terms of setting fire to people, shooting your sister and generally just making things explode when they really shouldn't. I can't think of anything more appropriate for Michael Bay to be involved in really.

It's fun, creepy and suspenseful but fun to see these people (thrown together by circumstance) try to make their way through a city that only has twelve hours to kill as much of itself as possible. You really get the feeling that anything could happen and it does, usually when you least expect it. If I had to pick a hole in anything , it would be the urge to come up with some kind of social commentary when there really isn't any need for it. We know who's behind the Purge, we know the Purge is a bad thing so it's clear then that the people behind the Purge are Bad People. We don't need the social commentary, on something that we can figure out for ourselves, taking centre stage when the story behind Barnes, and the people he is protecting, is naturally more interesting. Having said that though, the final shootout was awesome, no question about it.

Did I enjoy 'The Purge: Anarchy' more than 'The Purge'? They're two different films really, so difficult for me to compare them, but I won't deny it, this sequel is more my kind of thing than the first film with loads of action going on and an interesting plot to go with it. I hope 'The Purge: Election Year' is more of the same as that's what I'll be watching next.