The Purge

"One night a year, all crime is legal."

Jun 7 2013 R 1h 25m
Horror, Thriller

Given the country's overcrowded prisons, the U.S. government begins to allow 12-hour periods of time in which all illegal activity is legal. During one of these free-for-alls, a family must protect themselves from a home invasion.

Plot

In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-including murder-becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking. When an intruder breaks into James Sandin's (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear a family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.

Written by

James DeMonaco

Directed by

James DeMonaco

Production Countries

United States of America, France

Production Companies

Blumhouse Productions, Platinum Dunes, Why Not Productions, Universal Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

2 wins & 6 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
258,880
Average Rating
5.8 out of 10
Metascore
41
Popularity
NA