AT THE MOVIES

by Isy Jordan

The Forever Purge
Director: Everardo Gout
Starring: Josh Lucas, Ana de la Reguera, Will Patton, Tenoch Huerta, and more.


All the rules are broken as a sect of lawless marauders decides that the annual Purge does not stop at daybreak and instead should never end.

It's coming up on ten years since the first Purge movie arrived in our theatres and the spectacle of a world where all crime including murder is legal for 12 hours each year, called "The Purge," wore off quickly. Through the series of movies, we got the message. The rich, politic elite declared open hunting season on its own citizens and as with anything else in modern society, it mainly benefited the rich. The poor and marginalized are in danger and face most of the consequences.

From the promotions, I took The Forever Purge to be a movie about people in the new United States of America fighting back against the Purge, against hate and fear. And it was. But what I thought would be a mildly entertaining sequel to a tired franchise ended up being a movie with a lot to say.

The Forever Purge followed the franchise formula to a point. And once you figured out the story wasn't going in the direction you anticipated? It was too late. Our characters -- a family of wealthy ranch owners and three Mexicans who recently immigrated to the US -- find themselves in the crosshairs. They are caught between a misguided movement of people fighting to take their country back for reasons fed to them by the rich politic elite and a government fighting to contain the monster its leaders created.

Sound familiar?

The movie was well acted, had a lot of exciting action sequences, and many disturbing images and scenes that depicted a US where racists were moving from the annual purge to "cleansing" their country. The messaging was heavy-handed at times but maybe that's what we need right now. I spent nearly two hours on an adrenaline-filled chase that never disappointed. Personally, I liked this film better than any in the franchise that came before it.

At one hour and 43 minutes, the film was over too soon for me -- and not over soon enough. It's suitably rated R and was a pleasant surprise. If you don't mind mild political metaphors and messaging, you'll really enjoy this one.

Isy