by George Wolf
THE PURGE
In less than ten years, America will be a land full of jobs and free of crime, with citizens reciting a pledge to the “new founding fathers.” The catch? Once a year, all laws are lifted for a twelve hour free-for-all, as Americans are encouraged to cleanse their souls of rage.
That’s the premise of The Purge, and its a pretty solid one, with deep roots easily traced to The Hunger Games, A Clockwork Orange, and classic short stories such as The Most Dangerous Game and The Lottery.
There are countless other film examples, and no surprise, a visionary director is usually the difference the good (Straw Dogs) and the bad (Hostel).
The Purge falls somewhere in the middle. Writer/director James DeMonaco sets a firm hook, as security system salesman James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) comes home to his family in an upper crust neighborhood. He bids his friends and neighbors a “safe night,” puts flowers on the lawn to show his public support for the purge, and battens down the family hatches, hoping to survive the night.
DeMonaco isn’t subtle with the message of the haves feeding off the have-nots. Give him credit, though, for weaving liberal guilt, right-wing rage, racial tensions, paranoia, national security and more into the mix, creating a tense, subversive clash of moral ambiguities.
Of course, it does turn out to be a bumpy night for the Sandins, and when the film shifts into home-invasion standoff mode, trouble comes a-knockin’.
The intruders are modeled heavily on the killers from both The Strangers and Funny Games, there are cliches and lapses in plausibility, but still, DeMonaco finds ways keep you interested. Nifty camera work, a quick pace and some good playoffs do much to overcome the flaws. You get the feeling DeMonaco wrote the script and the storyboard together, letting his director side step in when doubts arose, reassuring his writer side that they could make it work.
In a way, they were both right. The screenwriter has much on his mind, but after a solid start, boxes himself in and chooses the easy way out. The director takes it from there, finding some stylishly resourceful ways to make The Purge worth a look.
THE INTERNSHIP
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson try to prove they’re not comic dinosaurs by playing a couple of guys trying to prove they’re not unemployable dinosaurs. Yes, comedy has changed since the two wrought wedding reception mayhem in 2005’s Wedding Crashers. Vaughn and Wilson have not.
The buddies again play buddies, a top notch selling duo pushing high end watches until their company closes because wristwatches are obsolete, what with cell phones to check for the time. Wilson’s Nick takes a humiliating gig working for a weirdo mattress salesman (Will Farrell. Mom! The Meatloaf!), but BFF Billy has bigger plans: an internship with Google.
Fish out of water comedy allows the twosome to acquire some new skills while reassuring a middle aged audience that kids today still have a little something to learn. Tired gags about SciFi nerdery and lacking social skills mix with formula clichés about underdog competition, all of it brought somewhat pleasantly to life by two actors with a warm, comfortable chemistry.
They could each use a hit, as their output has been less than stellar in the last 8 years. From Vaughn we’ve seen The Dilemma, The Watch, Fred Claus, Couples’ Retreat – that’s a whole lot of stink right there. Wilson’s not smelling much better, but for every Drillbit Taylor there’s a Midnight in Paris, for every Marley & Me there’s a Fantastic Mr. Fox, so he’s at least splitting the difference.
The Internship is far too safe and uninspired a film to compete with raucous comedies like next week’s This Is the End, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise from a film that begs us to appreciate a couple of geezers for their big hearted friendliness, regardless of the fact that they don’t have the skills required to make it in their chosen industry.
