The Purge 3: Election Year (2016)

Elevator Pitch: Purge night is due again, and the government have chosen to use the event to eliminate a female senator who opposes the continuation of the purge, since by now it is seen as a way of eliminating costly poor people. The senator and her chielf  security are forced onto the streets by heavily armed men, and in time team up with a deli owner and his assistant who are on the run from a group of predatory school girls armed with Kalashikovs. They join a larger group who are bent on revenge against the authorities, but when the senator is captured can they rescue her?

Content: There is no sex or nudity, but some might take exception to the depiction of teenage girls in their underwear armed with Kalashnikovs. And necessarily a load of shooting with all sorts of firearms, plus incidental scenes of people being killed in a variety of ways. We follow our group of heroes through the streets and they take on various killers including the mercenaries hired by the government. The people in charg are holding meetings with Fascist overtones, and both groups meet in a church, where all will be resolved.

A View: It is estimated that this film cost $10 milion to make, and it grossed $31 millon on its first weekend, so The Purge has developed a loyal following.  Like many shoot-em ups it was not quite possible for the pace to be maintained and it is a bit flat in the middle, but it picked up in the third act. My only quibble really is that the hero and the villain do that putting aside of their firearms and engaging in hand-to-hand combat, but otherwise a watch for the cost of a download, if you like that sort of thing.

Additional info: At the time of the release of this movie there was a forth Purge film in the works, which was released in 2018. It was a prequel – often the production of last resort for franchises.