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The Purge

Ethan Hawke needs a new agent

OK, here’s the deal: in a near-future United States, all laws, including murder, are suspended for 12 hours every March 22. This presumably allows the citizens to vent their rage and frustration, and lowers the crime rate. Now, a certain suspension of disbelief is necessary in any sci-fi story.

But I’m sorry; this idea is so sociologically batty that I just couldn’t get around it. And even if I did, all that’s there is an amped-up, B-level home-invasion flick. Worse, the filmmakers’ ham-fisted attempts to turn this into social commentary are simply insulting. Note to Ethan Hawke: get a new agent. (85 min)