THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR Ballot Time
released OUT NOW! 15 | 105 minutes (TBC) Director James deMonaco Cast elizabeth Mitchell, Frank Grillo, edwin Hodge
2014’s The Purge: Anarchy expanded on the original home invasion thriller, and added political comment that was more in your face than some of the violence. Now here comes Election Year, which goes full Trump, milking the rich vs poor arguments for all it can.
Frank Grillo’s back as police sergeant Leo Barnes, here protecting a crusading politician (Elizabeth Mitchell) running for president so she can take down the New Founding Fathers of America and end the annual ritual of lawless mayhem for good.
Much like the previous outing, the messaging is less than subtle, though the characters spouting it are at least a touch more interesting. Writer/director James DeMonaco is still a little bit too in love with the carnage, but he stages a few effective setpieces as Grillo’s tough nut shepherds Mitchell through the dangerous streets with a few willing anti-Purge comrades. The big finale is annoyingly close to Anarchy (especially its setting), and the government villains are now so cartoonish as to seem drawn from Nigel Farage’s wet dreams, but the concept still has some entertainment value left.
DeMonaco originally intended to make a prequel to the first Purge, until Grillo agreed to return as Sergeant Barnes.