The Purge: Election Year (2016) - James DeMonaco

The evolution of the Purge franchise has been a fascinating one, with each installment getting larger not only in physical scope but in its thematic ideals.  With Purge: Election Year, the series has created a mostly brash commentary on the current state of America, one runned by an oligarchy of the political elite whose only interests lie in how much money they can bankroll themselves with.  Let's be clear, The Purge: Election Year's politics are loud and incredibly simplistic, but that's not to say I don't enjoy this exaggerated reality and appreciate its ability to make some pointed commentary, regardless of it's simplistic approach.  Picking up two years after the last installment, Purge: Anarchy finds Leo Barnes serving as the head of security for Senator Charlie Roan, a woman who Is adamant of banning the annual purge from existence.  The Purge is a system designed by the oligarchy to target the poor and weak, those who cannot protect themselces, and the Senator's campaign seems to be winning the hearts and minds of the nation.  The New Founding Fathers are fearful of losing their power,  so they concoct a scheme to have the Senator killed during the annual purge.  Betrayed by the oligarchy, Leo and Senator Roan find themselves on the streets of D.C. during the one night where all violence is legal and no help is available, forced to survive in order to maintain the Senator's hope for a brighter future.  The Purge: Anarchy is loud, dumb and fun, an often hilariously simplistic allegory of modern day America that is certainly entertaining as long as you don't expect much true horror.  The series has almost completely divulged from its horror roots at this point, being solely built on shock, sadistic imagery, and painfully blunt political commentary, with gruesome action being it's primary tactic.  Nuance and subtlety are not the film's strong suits, but I'd be lying if I wasn't at least somewhat surprised by the film's ability to capture the toxic nature of violence, and how both the oppressed and opressors can become one in the same when violence is their weapon of choice.  Full of some piercing sadistic imagery that is as amusing as it is abrasive, The Purge: Election Year is a fun action, horror film that pulls no punches in it's allegory about the treatment of the poor, unapologetic in it's blunt, albeit simplistic perspective.

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