“The Purge” is an anomaly of a horror film series. It doesn’t succumb to the law of diminishing returns, but subverts it by getting better with each installment. The first film had promise, introducing the limitless idea of an annual purge night where all crime was legal, only to use it to supplement a subpar home invasion thriller. The sequel lived up to its surname, showcasing the anarchy of the concept. The third installment utilizes the mechanics of the event to weave a political allegory on society.
That opening paragraph was a bit misleading. I stated that this series has gotten better with each installment, though that’s not true (at least not for me). “Election Year” isn’t as good as “Anarchy,” but only because it takes so many risks. Not all of them pay off, dampening the overall quality. Not enough to sink the film, but enough to put it one rung beneath its immediate predecessor. However, my point still stands on this horror series being an anomaly.
While “Election Year” may stumble, it’s easily the most ambitious entry in the franchise. That alone is commendable and helps the series’ claim of being an anomaly. By this point, the producers could’ve simply churned out a carbon copy of the last film. Instead, they allowed writer/director James DeMonaco to concoct a story that builds upon the mythos and crafts parallels to our current political climate.
There’s no subtlety in DeMonaco’s political agenda. The villains are the one-percenters who take advantage of the Purge to rid America of the lower class. The government is greedy and corrupt, allowing the Purge to occur in order to eliminate the “bottom feeders.” They protect themselves under a law that makes it unlawful to murder a government official on Purge night, this way they can attend their Purging Mass in peace.
Objecting against the government and threatening to vanquish the Purge altogether is Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell). She was the only member of her family to survive a home invasion on Purge night eighteen years prior and has vowed to put an end to it ever since. She’s been able to rally a lot of the country behind her, coming within earshot of winning the election. To protect their position, the government lifts the ban on officials being immune to the Purge in order to legally assassinate Roan.
Protecting the Senator is Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), the protagonist from the last film. After nearly avenging his son’s death on Purge night, becoming what he loathed, Leo too has vowed to end the Purge. While I preferred the idea of each installment focusing on a new batch of characters, I was fine with Barnes’ return. It suits the story well and gives us a character we’re already emotionally attached to. That’s what the first film was sorely lacking, with these sequels thankfully picking up the pieces.
More likable characters are introduced. Joe Dixon (Mykelti Williamson) owns a corner shop in town whose insurance took a hike the day before the Purge (another not-so-subtle way of the government screwing the working man). Despite the best wishes of those around him, he stubbornly chooses to protect his store on Purge night. Aiding him is his best employee, Marcos (Joseph Julian Soria), and the badass Laney Rucker (Betty Gabriel). The latter is a former Purger who has since been saved and is saving those out in the treacherous streets by driving around in an ambulance.
While these characters are likable, their arc is what drags the film down for a while. The threat they face is too cartoonish: a gang of female thugs whose previous attempt to rob Joe’s store went awry. They come back on Purge night to exact revenge, but do so by laughably delivering candy puns. Their performances are too over-the-top and no tension can be extracted from their threats. Thankfully, they’re done away with quickly.
There’s a lot of humor in “Election Year,” much more than I ever would’ve expected in a “Purge” film. Some of it works as a way of humanizing the universe created, such as in Joe’s sardonic wit. Others, such as the aforementioned candy thugs, is too outlandish. This is where the film stumbles the most, as DeMonaco doesn’t quite find the right balance between the humor and grimness. A darker sense of humor as opposed to the broad approach would’ve complemented the tone much better.
I understand why the humor is present. “The Purge” series is a satire just as much as it is horror. It’s lampooning American culture, most specifically the rampant violence and personal greed. Most satire takes a serious subject matter and cranks it up to eleven, as a way of having the ridiculousness of the satire match the ridiculousness of the situation. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are notorious for doing this with “South Park,” though they have more bite. I appreciated the effort by DeMonaco, but he doesn’t have a good grasp on the ridiculousness. His tight direction over the action sequences is loosened to let the satire in, in turn loosening his grip on the proceedings.
DeMonaco gets things back on track once our two groups of protagonists intertwine. Joe and company save the Senator and Leo, teaming up to get them to safety. Previous subplots are mercifully terminated and the main focus is on a deadly game of catch and mouse. Thrown into the mix is a rebellion led by Dante Bishop (Edwin Hodge), who also want the Purge to come to an end. They don’t have faith in the public to vote in Roan as President, so they plan to assassinate her competition. She fears that’d make her competition a martyr, ruining her chances to win. Even if it helped, it’d go against her moral compass. Not only does this subplot strengthen the political angle, it also accelerates the suspense by adding more immediacy to the danger.
Amidst all of the chaos are little nuggets of creativity. DeMonaco is constructing his own dark little post-apocalyptic universe, implementing new pieces to the model. On top of the previously mentioned ambulance service, we get glimpses of other new instruments: a cleanup crew retrieving dead bodies to safely dispose of, gangs using the Purge to wage wars, and thugs concocting death machines out of their vehicles. It’s reminiscent of the world George Miller created in the “Mad Max” series, with the depravity of the human soul being unleashed in a lawless environment.
Once our characters interweave is when “Election Year” finds itself. The humor, while still present, gets toned down in favor of suspense. The intensity felt in the last film returns the second we set foot outside. We always feel as if our heroes are in danger, ratcheting up the thrills when they rear their ugly head. It may be a bumpy road, but “Election Year” is a thrilling ride!
Final Rating: B