A sequel to the 2013 Ethan Hawke starrer, The Purge Anarchy operates under the same concept. Each year, for a 12 hour period, citizens in the new America are allowed to run free and commit the crime legally, including the most heinous — robbery, rape and murder, provided they do not use weapons above a certain classification. Unlike in the original movie where the story centered on one family like a glorified home invasion movie, Anarchy stepped up the action by introducing different characters who meet by coincidence on the street on Purge night — an avenging father, a poor mother and daughter, and a couple who got stuck on the highway on the most dangerous night of the year. Together, they must survive the Purge while they are hunted down by a menacing group of armed purgers on the one hand and psychotic teen hoodlums on the other.

Anarchy is a great addition to the franchise because it was able to pick up on the missed potential of the original and push the envelope on the concept. Anarchy depicted a society gripped by abandon, disorder and chaos, something that was what was missing from the first movie in its attempt to replicate Malcolm McDowell’s character in the Clockwork Orange with the Polite Leader (something that didn’t quite pan out). Don’t get me wrong, the original movie was not the most horrible thriller out there but it definitely lacked the edge it needed to establish the interesting idea of the Purge.

In contrast, Anarchy effectively depicted the sense of danger in the streets and what the situation was for the people who could not afford to protect themselves against the purgers. At first, Anarchy seemed to pick out some choice scenarios from other horror and action movies (stuck on a backroad, a father who wants to get even with his son’s killer), but then, it was able to weave the stories together to create a unit standing against people who want them dead either for sport, for money or vendetta. And because they were together for most of the movie, and were obviously underdogs in the hunting game, audiences are able to establish a connection with them and want them to survive the night. Because it was the second movie in the franchise, unfortunately, the shock factor about how people were treated like cattle on purge night has diminished somewhat.

Perhaps this was the reason the action was more intense and that challenge after challenge emerge for the group at each turn. It certainly made for an interesting ride. Also,  instead of the main hero developing feelings of the lead female character, he bonded instead with her daughter, who was sometimes too impulsive and too idealistic for her own good, which was good in the sense that it was not all that generic. Oh, don’t get me wrong. There were a lot of stupid moves committed by the characters in this movie and at times, it would seem that Sgt. Barnes was the only person who had a lick of sense among the lot, much like Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey were the only smart characters in the original. It seemed that his companions were too lax in dealing with a night like the Purge. Nobody thought to arm themselves at the first opportunity, nor just maintain an awareness of the environment to feel out potential threats to their safety. Lots of facepalm moments right there. I would have blown the gasket were I in Sgt. Barnes’s oversized shoes. But eventually, there was some improvement, towards the end that is, but at least it was better late than never.

The ending was quite predictable, but overall, it was a vast improvement over the first movie. Basically, it was like watching the first Punisher (for the first Purge) and then following up with Punisher: War Zone (for the sequel) in terms of action and suspense. Despite the fact that it had lesser known stars (Frank Grillo, Zach Gilford, Carmen Ejogo), it was able to deliver solid performances and a coherent movie without trying too hard to be something its not. Its straightforward and its well executed. Plain and simple.  Kudos to writer director James DeMonaco for pulling it off.