The Purge: Election Year

Frank Grillo returns in the third in the series of deliriously pumped-up, high-concept horror thrillers set in a dystopian near-future United States where all crimes, including murder, are legal on one night of the year

In Election Year, the message - like the action - is delivered with about as much subtlety as a sledgehammer.

America's corrupt rulers, the New Founding Fathers of America, are using the annual Purge Night as a means of culling the country's lower orders, until a young liberal senator (Elizabeth Mitchell) campaigns for the presidency, vowing to end the Purge for good.

First, though, she has to survive Purge Night with the aid of Grillo's security chief.

The relentless pace means there's no room for nuance, but the comeuppance wrought upon a pair of lippy teenage shoplifters is a highlight and the up-to-date plot is clever.

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