Wednesday, June 05, 2013

'The Purge' Review


Watching The Purge, I was trying to think of another movie that was so crippled by its very premise. I have no problem suspending my disbelief if I think it will lead to a rich experience. (I'm a fan of Compliance, after all.) But this horror-thriller starring Ethan Hawke starts off with a conceit that I simply didn't buy -- and never could buy as the movie rolls along. The Purge imagines an America less than 10 years in the future that allows its citizens to murder each other for exactly one 12-hour period each year. The lack of logic in that dooms the entire film. My review is up at Screen International.