The First Purge (2018) | Film Review

When The Purge debuted back in 2013, it unspooled across America as yet another far-fetched indie title with a cool hook: for 12 hours, anyone can commit any crime, free from prosecution. It was ridiculous, but a fun spin for genre fans. As the sequels released, the series became more of a constricted Escape from New York, as one man (Frank Grillo) waged war on thugs, while protecting the innocent. Amped up action created another layer of absurdity, as the films seemed more insane as they continued. But now, in 2018, The First Purge arrives and damn near feels like a documentary from the future.

Giving us the origin story of the nationwide purging, The First Purge follows the residents of Staten Island, NY, a location for the first test of this allegedly cathartic experience. Civilian unrest has birthed a new political party, the New Founding Fathers of America, and they have concocted and somehow found a way to approve this unique method of releasing the general population of their frustrations for a few hours. With so much loathing and contempt throughout the country, mankind has devolved into its primal state. And for 12 consecutive hours, it can feed.

Dr. Updale (Marisa Tomei), the architect of this event, believes wholeheartedly in this experiment. While Arlo Sabian (Patch Darragh) – the mad leader at the helm – simply wants it to succeed, allowing it to expand and function as a disturbing means of population control. Meanwhile, local drug czar Dmitri (Y’lan Noel) and Purge protester Nya (Lex Scott Davis) take to the streets to protect their neighborhood and loved ones from thugs everywhere, as well as a psychotic menace finally set free in Skeletor (Rotimi Paul).

If you’re looking for a reinvention of the wheel, you won’t find it here. The script from franchise leader James DeMonaco allows the events to play out in a similar fashion: meet several characters, watch them fight to survive the night. What does change, though, is this film has a sharper focus on community and protecting your own. As civilians gradually warm up to the concept of mass murder, drug lords like Dmitri take the government’s focus on his neighborhood personally, waging a war on anyone who dare destroy the fabric of his environment.

As a fan of the earlier films, one thing immediately stood out to me: Frank Grillo was a fantastic addition that took the series to another level. Walking into The First Purge, knowing Grillo would be absent, already put my mental status on alert: no way this film will measure up to the previous two. Grillo had a swagger of down-and-dirty machismo that is unrivaled in genre flicks, and anticipating his absence made for a sorrowful sashay into the theater.

Fear not!

I might have walked in worrisome of a severe lack of The Grillo, but Y’lan Noel quashed those concerns by gliding in-and-out of every scene with the grit, depth, and charm of a young, pre-taxed Wesley Snipes. Dmitri may traffic narcotics throughout these city streets, but he’ll be damned if he will allow his clients to get offed without his prior approval. DeMonaco’s script affords Noel ample opportunity to showcase both his athleticism and sheer magnetism as he navigates around the film’s preachier moments relatively unscathed. Y’lan Noel is an actor to watch.

The rest of the cast are perfunctory as director Gerard McMurray elects to focus on portraying the confines of Staten Island as its secondary character. Steeped in inner city politics – low income families participating in the Purge for $5,000 as an act of desperation, the misplaced or forgotten taking part for sordid revenge – the film highlights much of the topical issues of today. It also shines a light on the brighter aspects of city life; Nya fights to save her family, citizens come to one another’s aid, and a few even decide to hold one hell of a Purge party. This Purge feels like the first to firmly establish its location as yet another victim in this societal nightmare.

Four films in (as well as an upcoming TV series on the USA Network), The Purge has deftly established itself as a franchise able to swing widely for varying genres and goals, consistently making contact, and this is no exception. A modern New Jack City for a more cynical audience, with a noble Nino Brown on the prowl who shouldn’t be taken too lightly, The First Purge delivers the origin story we never knew we wanted. And leaves us wanting even more.