The Purge: Election Year (2016)
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A presidential candidate fighting to end the Purge finds herself trapped in Washington, D.C. during the very event she seeks to abolish.
The story
Eighteen years after witnessing her family's death on Purge night, Charlie Roan runs for president on a platform to end the Purge. Her Secret Service head, Leo Barnes, joins her as they face opposition from the New Founding Fathers of America. When the NFFA revokes immunity for government officials to target Roan, she refuses to leave Washington, D.C. during the Purge. As the event begins, Roan and Barnes must navigate a city where all crime is legal, facing threats from paramilitary forces and 'murder tourists' while trying to survive the night and maintain their political stance.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2022, Charlie Roan's family is killed on Purge night. Eighteen years later, she runs for president to end the Purge. Her security chief, Leo Barnes, helps her stay in Washington, D.C. during the event despite the NFFA revoking government immunity. During the Purge, Roan's security team betrays her, and she is captured by Russian 'murder tourists' before being rescued by a deli owner, Joe Dixon, and his employee, Marcos. They are later hunted by a neo-Nazi paramilitary group led by Earl Danzinger. The group eventually finds an anti-Purge hideout led by Dante Bishop. After a series of skirmishes involving a triage EMT named Laney Rucker and various gangs, the group reaches a cathedral where the NFFA plans to sacrifice Roan. A massive shootout ensues, killing most of the congregation. Roan manages to persuade Dante's group not to assassinate the opposing candidate, Minister Owens. In the final confrontation, Danzinger is defeated by Leo. Two months later, Roan is declared the winner of the election.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James DeMonaco
- Writers
- James DeMonaco · writer
- Cast and characters
- Frank Grillo · Leo Barnes; Elizabeth Mitchell · Senator Charlene "Charlie" Roan; Mykelti Williamson · Joe Dixon; Joseph Julian Soria · Marcos Dali; Betty Gabriel · Laney Rucker; Terry Serpico · Earl Danzinger; Edwin Hodge · Dante Bishop; Kyle Secor · Minister Edwidge Owens
- Genres
- action; horror; political; crime; thriller
- Themes
- political corruption; survival; dystopian society; solidarity
- Tone and mood
- aggressive; tense; dystopian
- Premise and plot tags
- political action; horror; dystopian; survival
- Franchise connections
- The Purge
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, holding a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 55/100 score on Metacritic. It was a commercial success, grossing $118.6 million worldwide.
- Awards and nominations
- Best Teaser Poster · Golden Trailer Awards · 2016 · Nomination; Favorite Thriller Movie · People's Choice Awards · 43rd · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The tagline 'Keep America Great' was the same slogan used by Donald Trump for his 2020 re-election campaign.; Most of the movie was shot in Rhode Island, with Woonsocket transformed into Washington, D.C.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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