The Purge: Anarchy ***

The sequel to last year’s dystopian horror focuses this time on the street-level carnage of the annual ‘purge night’ – a 12 hour window where crimes as serious as murder can be perpetrated without facing the consequences. This time a mother and daughter find themselves stranded in the streets of Los Angeles where they are prey to a host of bloodthirsty gangs.

The narrative is even more flimsy than its predecessor, but whereas the first ‘Purge’ was a boring film with a compelling premise, the sequel is more satirical, nihilistic and enjoyable. The dystopian wasteland of LA is very sub-28 Days/Weeks Later and the political ideas are conveyed in a clumsier, more obvious way than before, but the central conspiracy idea relating to the cruel upper-class attempting to ‘cleanse’ the weak underclass from society is still engaging.