Polls suggest more carnage

in previous entry Anarchy with another turn rocking with hard-boiled charisma. It’s a pity Marvel have introduced Jon Bernthal as The Punisher on TV’s Daredevil as Grillo would’ve been perfect in the role if the comic book studio ever decided to introduce a more adult chum for the Avengers in their cinematic universe.

Series newbie Mitchell also impresses as an idealistic senator with a tragic backstory who retains her morals in the face of increasing levels of darkness and debauchery.

The rest of the thinly-drawn characters come and go without making much of an impact and the film stalls too often for chat when it should be motoring forward.

The action becomes pretty repetitive too with an overreliance on shoot-outs as Leo and friends stumble into face-off after face-off, and some of the double-crosses can be seen coming from a mile away.

Fortunately, DeMonaco knows how to scorch a memorable image into our brains; masked teenage girls rolling up in a car decked out in Christmas lights wielding guns and the world’s creepiest church sermon just two examples of the director at his best.

The opening bloody home invasion is affecting horror cinema and the idea of “murder tourists” a chilling glimpse into what it could be like to live in a world like DeMonaco’s creation.

The climax hints at more to come – and even greater carnage.

But if the Purge series is to progress to a fourth film and beyond, it will need that freshness as the formula is becoming a little stale.