The First Purge (4½ Stars)

This is the fourth film in the Purge franchise. It serves a prequel, taking place before the other films. In the previous films we see the Purge as a national event, intended to be carried out by true American patriots. The first Purge was carried out solely in Staten Island, New York, as an experiment.

In the near future a new political party has been created in America as an alternative to the Republicans and Democrats. That's a positive step, in principle. Any democracy that has only two parties to decide between will stagnate, sooner or later. In this case the new party is the New Founding Fathers of America, the NFFA, an extremist far right party. They've suggested a yearly event in which all crime is allowed for 12 hours, including murder. The word "purge" isn't used at first. It's an expression coined by people on the street which quickly catches on.

It soon becomes apparent that the crime which the NFFA intends to happen is murder itself. The American economy is suffering, and there are too many people dependent on welfare payments. If these people are killed, it will save the state money.

Since the first Purge is a local event, participation is voluntary. Anyone who doesn't want to take part simply has to leave the island and check into a hotel somewhere else. The NFFA is aware of this, so a financial incentive is given. Anyone who remains in Staten Island for the Purge will be given $5000. Anyone who actively participates will be paid more, depending on the level of his participation. In other words, "The more people you kill, the more you'll be paid". People on low incomes, mostly black and Hispanic, are glad to take up the first offer, and many take up the second offer as well. Trackers are implanted in the volunteers to check that they're still on the island. The active participants are given contact lenses with miniature cameras that record what they're doing.

The idea behind the Purge is that the (poor) population should kill each other. Many do this, but it's not all that happens. Heavily armed Ku Klux Klan members swarm into the borough to kill black people. In addition, the NFFA has hired foreign mercenaries and given them access to the trackers. They can quickly find large groups of volunteers and slaughter them. For instance, we see hundreds of people sheltering in a church who are wiped out by the mercenaries. It's just business. For every volunteer who's killed, the government saves $5000.

The film's hero is Dmitri, a local drug dealer. First he tells his gang to stay indoors and not get involved in the Purge. They should protect themselves and their money. He's forced to act when one of his rivals sends two prostitutes to kill him. He leaves the safe house in order to kill his rival. On the way back he recognises that there are foreign mercenaries, so he decides to defend his community. The bad man becomes a hero.

I like the Purge films. They're powerful political satires that speak about the problems America faces. In the previous films the messages were partly veiled, but in "The First Purge" all subtlety is abandoned. Maybe it's the date of the film that's the reason for speaking more openly. The first three films were made during the Obama presidency, whereas "The First Purge" was made after Donald Trump became president. The director couldn't whisper any more, he had to yell about the social upheaval.

Having said that, there are some small points in which I have to criticise the Purge franchise's premise:

It's said that "any crimes, including murder" are allowed. This implies that murder is the worst possible crime. In my opinion rape is the worst possible crime, because it has lasting consequences. Any woman who's raped on the Purge night still suffers the next day and for the rest of her life.

It's said that any weapons of class four and lower are permissible. In America the first three classes contain different types of guns, whereas the fourth class contains explosive devices such as bombs and grenades. As you know, guns are allowed in America, but it's forbidden to own class four weapons. In this case, anyone legally using a class four weapon in the Purge is breaking the law the following day if he still has it.

As you can tell from my recent posts, I'm working my way through the Purge films, re-watching them all in order. I still haven't watched the Purge TV series. I haven't yet been able to find it on sale for a reasonable price.

Success Rate:  + 8.5

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