James DeMonaco’s scripts for “The Purge” play out like drafts of the most daring type of your introductory creative writing course. He asks us to imagine America at its worst hypothesis: The government instituted an annual one-day crime wave called the Purge, and the protagonists must fight their way through the waves of rabid murderers they called once neighbors. It’s the kind of intrigue that only holds if you buy the misanthropic thesis of something like “Joker,” but DeMonaco likes to throw a few hot political topics into each script to keep things fresh. “The Forever Purge”, directed by Everardo Valerio Gout, attempts to criticize American racism against Mexicans.
Adela (Ana de la Reguera) and Juan (Tenoch Huerta) are new immigrants to the United States who are settling for their very first purge. Juan works on a ranch for the wealthy white Tucker family, where he must resist harassment from his boss’s grandson, Dylan (Josh Lucas). But once hordes of rogue Americans rise up to continue the Purge forever, the Tuckers, Adela, and Juan (who notably don’t have last names) must learn to fight together.
“The Forever Purge” tries to have political relevance by introducing immigrant protagonists, but it easily excuses the racism of the other tracks. (After all, Dylan doesn’t look so bad compared to the gangs of white supremacists who stalk the film.) Words like “colonialism” and “the American dream” are used, with little success. This film ultimately cares more about monotonous shootings than it does commentary on border relations.
The purge forever
Rated R for endless gun violence and a handful of gore. Duration: 1 hour 43 minutes. In theaters.
