[yasr_overall_rating]
To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the others, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.
As its title implies, “The First Purge” takes places before the events of the previous three installments. After “The Purge: Election Year,” it seemed pretty obvious that the series was going to follow in the generic footsteps of every other horror franchise out there, make a new “Purge” movie every few years and kill off a bunch of random people. This time around, however, the filmmakers decided to go back to the beginning to show how it all began. A bold move if you ask me but one that pays off.
With crime higher than its ever been before, the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) decide to test a new concept, to make all crime, including murder, legal for one night of the year, in the hopes that it will push the crime rate below 1%. They decide to use Staten Island as its experimental testing ground and once the sun goes down, and the sirens sound off, the streets become empty. For a while. Gradually, as the night progresses, people begin to walk the streets, enacting violence as they go but with only a few hours left, the NFFA are disappointed with the relatively low murder rate so they put a backup plan into effect, dress mercenaries in masks and costumes to get the ball rolling. These men stab, shoot, and kill anybody they come across and just when things are looking very grim, one of Staten Island’s most notorious gangs decides to fight back, save their neighborhood, and show these mercenaries who’s boss.
Director Gerard McMurray brings to light early on, the fact that this gang is made up of unsavory characters, as they continue to pour drugs and prostitution into their own backyard but by the time the mercenaries arrive, the gang members, led by Dmitri (Y’lan Noel), redeem themselves as they put their own lives on the line to save those who are still alive. The movie mirrors much of what America is going through right now, with racism the big divide between neighborhoods, and people in general. The government concentrates its efforts on Staten Island because they state it is mostly made up of black and Hispanic people, and that is where much of the crime stems from. The movie carefully displays race and discrimination between the people in these neighborhoods but when they realize that their lives, and, in fact, their homes, are being threatened, they put all hatred and prejudice aside and work side by side to save everyone.
In the end, this is a “Purge” movie so all racialism that is presented to us, is put on hold so we can see the gang members exact vengeance on the mercenaries who have taken loved ones from them, and we root for them and cheer for them along the way. The message is loud and clear, much of society’s problems could be handled if we all just came together and put our differences aside. Even though these gang members are detestable and loathsome, they still have a level of respect for one another, and that is a good start. Unlike the mercenaries, who have been paid by the government to cause as much mayhem and murder as possible, the gang members are not totally devoid of all humanity. The end of the film winds up with one government official stating that the number of people who participated in The Purge, was astronomical and that the following year, because interest is so high, they may do a nationwide purge, and that is where 2014’s “The Purge” takes over. I actually enjoyed “The First Purge” but I hope that they will lay this series to bed, otherwise, it’s going to be the exact same story year after year.
In theaters Wednesday, July 4th
