How Timely... "The Purge: Election Year"

The Purge: Election Year (2016)

Rated R

Starring Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson, Joseph Julian Soria, Betty Gabriel,

Written & Directed by James DeMonaco

The Story:

Leo Barnes (Grillo) is now head of security for Senator Roan (Mitchell) in her bid for the presidency. Her first order of business should she be elected: ending the annual purge - the government endorsed 12 hour annual night when all crime is legal and no emergency services are available. Meanwhile, Joe (Williamson) finds out his Purge Insurance rates have gone up through the roof the night before the Purge, so he decides to stick it out on his own and protect his business.

James DeMonaco concludes his trilogy that began in The Purge and continued in The Purge: Anarchy.

Both were compelling thrillers that kept viewers riveted to the end of the film wondering what would happen next.

I actually preferred the sequel to the original, as I felt it gave the story more life as you could see what kind of chaos really happens outside in the world of the purge.

The first was claustrophobic, but almost too dark to feel the tension being raised, instead I was frustrating trying to remember who was who as they moved about in the shadows.

Once again, in our third trip back to the Purge-Verse, the storyline is split into pieces, and eventually the characters run into one another.

It's believable, and given their backstory, it's also important that these civilians decide to help the Senator stay alive.

What comes next for The Purge films?

Hard to say, I don't know if DeMonaco wants to continue them or not. He's put a nice bow on it, so it could be a self-contained trilogy.

However, where studios are concerned, franchises sell, so I'm betting we haven't seen the last of these chilling tales of a depraved society.

Final Grade: B-