‘The First Purge’ hammers home its bloody ideas
“The Purge” franchise continues its oddly satisfying marriage of guiltypleasure jump scares and graphic violence with socioeconomic commentary as it goes back in time in “The First Purge.”
A prequel, the movie is set before the horror-thriller series’ initial three — “The Purge” (2013), “The Purge: Anarchy” (2014) and “The Purge: Election Year” 2016” — and shows us the first time the rule of law was suspended for a night in the name of releasing frustrations and keeping crime rates down the rest of the year.
If you’re one of the many who have helped each of these films make many times over the relatively small amount of money they’ve cost to make, you already know almost anything goes on Purge night, murder included. It’s a fun, if very silly premise, but one series mastermind James DeMonaco increasingly has used to explore poverty, power and violence in America against the dystopian backdrop of a near-future United States.
While DeMonaco scripted this fairly enjoyable if increasingly all-over-the-place tale, he has handed the directing reins to Gerard McMurray, director of last year’s “Burning Sands,” an award-winning drama at the Sundance Film Festival that was scooped up by Netflix.
At the beginning of “The First Purge,” we learn times are tough — unemployment is up while the stock market is down, and the opioid epidemic rages. The New Founding Fathers of America, a newer political party that has won the support of the National Rifle Association, has been swept into power as protests break out around the nation.
The new government is hot for an idea of the Purge, crafted by psychologist Dr. May Updale (Marisa Tomei, by far the most-recognizable member of the ensemble cast) as an experiment. Even though the Purge will leads to death, Updale seems to be well-meaning, actually believing her concept could lead to greater societal good. (As always, you need to suspend — maybe even purge — your disbelief for one of these movies.)
Staten Island, New York, is chosen as the test site. Those who stay in the burrow the night of the Purge will undergo mental evaluations before and, if they survive, after. Each also will be given high-tech contact lenses that will record what they see and have a tracking device injected into their arms to make sure they didn’t sign up and skip. And they’ll get $5,000 for their troubles.
While many of Staten Island’s poor can’t pass up the cash, community activist Nya (Lex Scott Davis) leads the charge for the Purge to be canceled, or at least for citizens to reject it. Meanwhile, Nya’s younger brother, Isaiah (Joivan Wade of “Doctor Who”), has gone to work for her ex, Dimitri (Y’Lan Noel), an intelligent and ruthless young drug kingpin in the burrow. That’s a problem for Nya, who above all is protective of her brother, as is the fact Isaiah early on in the story has a run-in with a violent, Purge-hungry drug addict affectionately known as Skeletor (Rotimi Paul).
As the first Purge nears, Dimitri is worried about protecting his empire from rivals and the police — he punishes a henchman who expresses frustration he is forbidden to purge — while Nya huddles with others remaining in the neighborhood and hoping to ride out the night inside a guarded church. (Um, sure, that could work.) Things are complicated for Nya when she learns Isaiah has lied to her about going to a relative’s in Brooklyn for the night — he actually has signed up for the Purge and plans to rid the earth of Skeletor, a foe for whom he’s probably no real match — while Dimitri also gets dragged into the whole bloody affair.
As with any previous “Purge,” the acting in “The First Purge” won’t knock you out. That said, Davis, who also can be seen in the recently released “Superfly,” gives a really earnest performance. You can’t help but like Nya right away. Noel (HBO’s “Insecure”) likewise brings a solid presence, and the story gradually anchors itself around Dmitri.
This tale is at its most compelling when the power wielders in the NFFA grow disappointed that more citizens aren’t participating — in fact, many of them are simply raging in nonviolent ways at Purge parties — and take nefarious actions to inflame the situation.
After making their point, as well as generating a few scares — there are some leap-out-of-your-seat moments, DeMonaco and McMurray turn “The First Purge” into a somewhatlaughable action movie, with one character becoming a hybrid of Johns McClane, Cutter and Rambo. Hey, some bad dudes have to die to please the people.
After 12 hours of violence and death, the sirens blair to announced the end of the first Purge.
“It’s over?” a character asks.
“For now,” another answers.
Of course, we know there will be more Purges in DeMonaco’s world and, we suspect, more “Purge”-es in ours.