The Purge [Blu-ray]

Description

A family is held hostage for harboring the target of a
murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all
crime is legalized. Ever wanted to go wild and act on all those
anarchic feelings of pent-up rage that fester as obsessions until they make
you crazy? In the world of the near future portrayed in The Purge, the
government has come up with a solution that has led to a virtually crime-free
society. One night a year, taking action on those bottled-up emotions is
absolutely legal. For 12 hours anything goes, up to and including murder,
without judgment or punishment of any kind. Yes, it’s preposterous, but the
movie limits the scenario to a tested formula–a family holed up together on
an island (their luxury home) to fight off evil–that boils the premise down
to microcosm. As such, The Purge is a taut thriller that often falls back on
tropes yet manages to sustain chills and surprises in spite of a few weary
devices made popular by countless horror movies. Ethan Hawke plays James
Sandin, a devoted family man who has made a fortune selling security systems
to the upscale, gated-community homeowners who want to protect themselves from
common folk hungry for the taste of blood on Purge night. The Sandins have no
need to purge and eschew violence, so during the Purge they lock down the
house (thanks to James’s top-of-the-line products and services) and wait for
the mayhem to pass. But even the best security system is only as strong as its
operator, and James’s young son is too sympathetic to let a homeless man be
killed by marauding purgers wearing spooky masks, so he breaks protocol and
gives the man sanctuary. The purgers don’t like that, so they threaten to kill
everyone if James does not give up the hostage. Set entirely in the darkened
maze of the house, a bloody cat-and-mouse game begins and many players engage
in the murderous stakes, including James’s teenage daughter’s boyfriend, who
would like to bury the axe he’s been grinding right into James’s head. And
when the security system proves to be not so impenetrable after all, the
frights become genuinely scary, as do the responses of the Sandin family, not
to mention their neighbors. It turns out many of them have been James’s
customers and hold a grudge against his exploitation, thereby nurturing their
resentment until this year’s Purge. The Purge’s premise would have been
intriguing to explore outside the confines of a single incident in one home,
but the scares keep coming, building to an effective sense of tension and
dread. It’s all released as dawn breaks after the hell night. The Purge ends
on an unexpected, satisfying note, even though many of the characters
undoubtedly walk away with some lingering obsessions. Just wait until next
year. –Ted Fry

Features:

Product Details:

• Genre: Vigilandia, Horror, DVD Movie, Family Night, Family Time, Blu-ray Movie, Action & Adventure/Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense See more
• Format: Widescreen, Ultraviolet, Blu-ray, Color
• Contributor: Max Burkholder, Michael Bay, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane, Brad Fuller, Ethan Hawke, Rhys Wakefield, James DeMonaco, Jason Blum, Andrew Form, Sebastien K. Lemercier See more
• Language: English
• Runtime: 2 hours and 52 minutes
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.40:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 5.25 x 0.5 inches; 0.01 Ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ James DeMonaco
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Widescreen, Ultraviolet, Blu-ray, Color
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 52 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ October 8, 2013
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane, Max Burkholder, Rhys Wakefield
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ Spanish, French