America. 2023. Unemployment is below 5%. Crime is virtually non-existent while every year fewer and fewer people live below the poverty line. All thanks to... The Purge: Anarchy.As with the first film, "The Purge: Anarchy" has an irresistible set-up with one day a year where all criminal activity, including murder, is legal, all done in the name of some sort of societal catharsis that has given the nation record low unemployment and record economic growth. Just as with the first film, there's no way anyone can watch this movie without wondering what they would do during one of these horrible annual purges. Would you hunker down and protect your family and property? Would you go wild in the streets? Would you enact revenge over a petty grievance? However, also as with the first film, the story that ends up on screen is a disappointingly routine and does not live up to the film's killer premiss. The first film ended up a well done home invasion/siege film with horror tinges. This sequel opens up the world of The Purge by following a group of disparate characters who find themselves out in the open in a big city the night of a Purge. The general story is that a single mother and teen daughter find themselves out on the street after being attacked by their landlord and then nearly kidnapped by a mysterious organized forced when they're saved by a muscle car-driving Frank Grillo, who's out looking for some of his own personal revenge. Grillo also finds himself protecting another young couple who's car broke down on their way home (never mind why anyone would go to the store right before The Purge is about to begin, although this film is not the type of movie where you poke holes in logic because it's way too easy and ruins the fun). If the first film was basically a horror version of "Assault on Precinct 13" this sequel is a horror version of "The Warriors," with our band of heroes having to bop their way through vicious roving gangs in a series of exciting incidents to survive. "Judgement Night" might also be an apt comparison and there's a dash of "The Running Man" in there too with some dystopian government conspiracy elements thrown in. This sequel delves a bit more into the subtext of The Purge by playing up the class warfare elements of the concept. One character fighting against The Purge says "Change only comes when their blood spills" referring to hunting down the wealthy who think their money and power can protect them from the anarchy in the streets. This widening of the world of The Purge makes it superior to the original. While the worldbuilding is interesting, most of the film is unfortunately a series of action set-pieces that end with Grillo telling everyone to "Keep moving!" I wish the film had contained more scenes like one where the group takes refuge in a friend's apartment in what starts as a friendly dinner party and provides them with a rare moment of calm. That's when writer/director James DeMonaco masterfully builds tension that climaxes when one of the apartment residents pulls a gun and the seemingly normal dinner party goes berserk. This scene is a microcosm of the entire world of The Purge and is wonderfully executed by DeMonaco. If only the rest of the film were this good. Still, although the story is disappointingly routine action film, it's well executed and never boring. DeMonaco fills the screen with memorably frightening visuals, whether it's the many masked killers roaming the street or a haunting image of a woman drenched in blood eerily standing motionless on a street corner, he captures glimpses a frightening world of lawless anarchy that does not seem all that far removed from our reality (if only the main story was as horrific). And I love the sirens sound effects announcing the start of The Purge are wonderfully frightening, partially because of the excellent sound design, but also because of the great build-up to the lawless purge, sounding as if they're biblical horns announcing the end of times. This sequel also has a cool cameo by a character from the first film, which connects the two seemingly disparate stories. Overall, while I still feel that the final product doesn't live up to the brilliant premiss, "The Purge: Anarchy" is entertaining, fast paced, and never boring. Just go into this film expecting more of an action film and less of a horror film.

This review contains spoilers.The Purge: Anarchy is the sequel to the The Purge. It is directed by James DeMonaco and stars new cast of characters that try to survive the purge. The story follows multiple perspectives, from a cop out for revenge, a couple that is stranded, to a mother and daughter deep in the city. These plot lines converge and lead to the cop protecting the others.The Purge: Anarchy has a higher budget which it uses to employ more extras and effects. There is absolutely a more grander feel to this movie and it can be felt that a city has gone crazy. That is all that is positive about this movie.The problems with the writing in the first movie remain except that it is only exacerbated with the budget. More ludicrous events will take place on the screen to increase the body count. There is a scene midway through the movie where it explains that the government is seeking out poor areas to increase the deaths caused by the purge. This event is hard to believe as the survivors and even people in the city can film them. It is difficult to believe that the government could be sending full military armed forces to kill poor citizens. Even upon losing a truck, no one suspects or even brings up the overkill the government is doing to the population. The same plot holes such as vacation outside of the United States are not even hand waved here. None of the movie's internal logic makes sense, especially with gangs kidnapping people for the rich to have a gladiator game. These are interesting scenes, but are not fulfilling.The other parts of this movie such as directing, editing, and acting range from bland to decent. Frank Grillo as the police officer is the standout performance here. The rest of the movie's mentioned components are not great.The audience that would like this movie most is one that is willing to heavily suspend their disbelief. A large suspension is needed to simply enjoy the action which is decently shot and choreographed here. My only wish for this movie is that there should have been more commentary. Much of the backstory and politics of this alternate United States is not told through the characters. It is only given by narration. With a lot of tweaks, this series could have been better but now it is only mindless entertainment.I do not recommend The Purge: Anarchy.

Anarchy does not mean chaos. We live in a constant state of chaos. Voluntary or forced order.

When I saw the trailer for the first Purge movie, I thought it was a wildly innovative idea and I absolutely loved it! I was so excited to see the film, unfortunately it amounted to little more than a slasher movie. The story had all the potential in the world, but they really didn't go into it, they just wanted to show off the violence and hatred people had towards one another. I was hoping they would correct this in the sequel and boy did they ever! Anarchy isn't about some family hunkered down in their home, fighting off attackers. In the second installment of the Purge, we learn a lot more about it. The pro and anti-purge factions that exist, the professional companies that make a fortune off that one night, the way the rich purge, and the main story which centers around what happens on the streets when two families are trapped outside on purge night. Two families are easy pickings until they find Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), a man on a mission that he can only complete on Purge night. Barnes however is a man of conscience and won't complete his mission until he begrudgingly gets the families to safety, which means a wild trek through the city. The Purge: Anarchy is a wild ride through a city of ordinary people turned into killers, with home made weapons, booby-traps, and pure anarchy, just as the title promises. If you're looking for action and violence, there are a million places to turn, that's not what the appeal of this movie is. It's the idea, that crime virtually is nonexistent, except for this one night, where society turns on each other. Where almost everyone's craziest fantasy becomes reality and just how some people react. What will each character turn into when they are allowed to do whatever they want? How does society feel about this law and is the benefit worth the cost? This story has just so many directions it can go in, that why I'm not surprised to hear they're working on a fourth film. The Purge series may just be a series of action/slasher films, but this one idea puts a whole new spin on them and makes you see things through a whole different set of eyes and I for one think it's ingenious.