Written by James M. Tate / 6/09/2013 / 1 Comment / chris mulkey , ethan hawke , horror , suspense
THE PURGE
![]() |
year: 2013 cast: Ethan Hawke, Lena Heady, Rhys Wakefield, Adelaide Kane, Chris Mulkey rating: **1/2 |
Enter family man Ethan Hawke as James Sandin who, with the best house in the neighborhood thanks to a lucrative job in home security, has made a killing off his neighbors: When the annual Purge happens you need to keep the bad guys out. And for the record, STRAW DOGS wasn’t only remade once: During the final act of the 1971 Sam Peckinpah film, a husband and wife harbor a desperate man that a gang of unruly antagonists want in exchange of their lives. The heavies cause havoc in the exterior, and eventually interior, of their seemingly impenetrable home. Same thing here: after Sandin’s naive son allows a hunted man access inside, a gang of mask-wearing loons prance around the front lawn (imagine the Manson family at a masquerade party) with one lethal goal in their twisted minds.
Despite the preposterously far fetched plot, the contained atmosphere builds suspense within the perspective of each family member as the invading foes encroach. The video camera device from the low budget PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise is used sporadically... the camera being part of the son’s remote control vehicle… adding edgy horror flick atmosphere to the bloody action. And while Ethan Hawke has a decent character arc, turning from mild mannered rich guy into John J. Rambo, gang leader Rhys Wakefield is the most fun to root against.
Although the final twist, as the true villains are revealed, is somewhat contrived and ultimately anticlimactic, this is an entertainingly nerve-racking thriller that goes in one ear and out the other. And in less than ninety minutes, you won’t have time to realize how stupid you might feel for enjoying yourself in the process.
![]() |
The antagonists of Sam Peckinpah's STRAW DOGS |
Labels:
chris mulkey,
ethan hawke,
horror,
suspense
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
All Time Popular
-
Robyn Hilton enters into an eclectic exploitation comedy career in Wonder Women circa 1973 As mentioned a few posts ago, ROBYN HILTON, b...
-
year: 1978 cast: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Kathleen Lloyd, Tony Alva, Pam Kenneally rating: ***1/2 Although promoted as a Leif Garr...
-
Kari Michaelsen in Saturday the 14th year: 1982 In LOVE AT FIRST BITE, a popular comedy that took the vampire genre by satire, Richard ...
-
Cornelia Sharpe in BUSTING Year: 1974 Rating: **** Starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as determined vice cops BUSTING hookers, makin...
-
Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be...
-
Robyn Hilton on STARSKY AND HUTCH Model/Actress ROBYN HILTON played Mel Brook's secretary in BLAZING SADDLES and turns up in an epis...
-
Kerri Green and John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL Year: 1985 John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controller ...
-
Robyn Hilton in Video Vixens the same year as Blazing Saddles: 1974 The Anthology of Comedic Parodies, already done in several Woody All...
-
CADDDYSHACK is best known for the iconic leading actors: Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray, but originally the ...
-
Elizabeth James and Tom Laughlin on equal ground YEAR: 1967 THE BORN LOSERS wasn't supposed to happen but thank God it did since BIL...
Featured Post
BURT REYNOLDS WITH AHNA CAPRI & NORMAL FELL ON 'DAN AUGUST'
Burt Reynolds on DAN AUGUST Prognosis: Homicide Year: 1971 Rating: **** One of the better episodes of the Burt Reynolds detective series DAN...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguULz6uCHJY9P64ptrvdqUxVdLnOHi8xVX00-BiI8shN9hj7vX1lwNDHa0T00FfaUWGV2lN_mdNh7YT9w2kcQVGjiA8_d8a9liS5tChfdc19R6pCadd0K-HWgretTHF0sKKmsDZEA9HRbLxKNzDxsazWEaRb5fGKEQ2sx6-VSaM3e9RL3jqQnZCOksrer7/s16000/z.jpeg)
Was definitely contemplating seeing this. Great review as always sir. I might have to get in a darkened theater and peek this one out.
ReplyDelete