“The Purge: Anarchy” should be purged, immediately

If+you+see+this+poster%2C+purge+it+from+the+wall

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If you see this poster, purge it from the wall

One night a year, all kinds of crime are legal for 12 hours. The Purge seems like the perfect solution to all problems, right? In the James DeMonaco movie, “The Purge: Anarchy,” a father goes out seeking revenge on the man who murdered his son. On his mission, he ends up saving a young couple along with a mother and daughter.

Award-winning producer Michael Bay’s accolades include music videos for people such as Tina Turner and Lionel Richie, as well as some of the most visually impressive movies like “Armageddon” and “The Transformers.” How, then,  does one who produces such high quality films make a film that is so utterly disappointing in so many ways?

Writer/Director James DeMonaco’s bio only shows three films, the two “Purge” movies and “The Negotiator.”

Cinematographer Jacques Jouffret, has a long list of  film credits, including “The Transformers,” “Transporter 2,” “Failure to Launch,” “ Eagle Eye,” and the recently redone classics “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th.” Some of these films are among my favorite due to the excellent quality in lighting and camera work.

Not so here. Throughout the night, the group is chased and shot at, but most importantly, in the dark. During the scenes that take place outside, the lighting was poor and it was difficult to see what was happening. The darkness within the scenes did not give an ominous feel as one would have hoped for. Instead it gave a muddy, messy viewing where movie goers were left straining their eyes to make out the shapes on the screen.

So what else could go wrong?  For starters, toss in an extremely predictable plot, erratic sound with volume going from extremely quiet to very loud all at once, and less-than-satisfying performances by the cast, beginning with the lead.

Frank Grillo, better known for his role in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” plays the revenge-driven father. Grillo’s acting lacked dimension and fell short on delivering the complex emotions that raged within the tormented character. His facial expressions, at times, came across as constipated instead of conflicted.

The supporting actors, including Carmen Ejogo, Zac Gilford, Kiele Sanchez and Zoe Soul, were even less compelling to watch. Their expressions did not depict the emotions they were trying to convey. Their faces should have shown terror and fear at a much higher level when they were being chased and shot at.

Instead it seemed like the scene from “Liar Liar” when Jim Carey is chasing his son and pretending he is a monster with a claw that is about to attack; more laughable than terrifying.  Watching this crew dodging and ducking reminded me of a high school drama club.

And then there’s the screenplay itself. The premise of the movie was full of flaws. If we were to believe that all crime was legal for one night, then it would only stand to reason that there would be some group that would reject the idea. This came in the form of a vigilante group that rejected the law. This was not demonstrated as a group with strength and intelligence, but instead it was thrown in half-heartedly with brief mentions.

Around a quarter of the way into the movie, I felt lost, as if I were watching the same scene repeatedly: the entire movie consisted of characters running, shooting, and making poor decisions.

The one redeeming aspect of the film was the message shown at the end: no matter how horrible things can get, there will always be good people who will do good things.

The underlying idea of a conspiracy theory where everything is controlled by the wealthy and the poor are at their mercy is as old as our country itself. It is an idea that has been done to death and this movie is no exception. It did not offer any new twist on the theory, no original portrayals of its characters.

The portrayals of the wealthy, self-righteous characters and the special room made for hunting humans complete with poor staging were as cliché as it gets.

If you are interested in a film that contains shockingly graphic scenes, something that will make your stomach turn, this movie would not be a good choice. The first in the series did a better job in that aspect. This movie offered no graphic scenes that would even make me the slightest bit queasy.

Considering the poor acting, directing, writing, and lighting, this tiresome reprise should not even be legal to view for 12 hours. It should be simply be purged immediately.