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The Purge poster

The Purge

year 2013decade 10sdirector James DeMonacogenre Horrorgenre Thriller

85

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Ethan Hawke James Sandin
Lena Headey Mary Sandin
Adelaide Kane Zoey Sandin
Max Burkholder Charlie Sandin
Edwin Hodge Bloody stranger

The Purge | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanproducer Craig Horlbeck
Explore episodeClose episode

Most Rewatchable Scene

The playroom fight

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:51Read transcript
  • The opening credits are praised while the source of the apparent news footage remains uncertain.
  • The kid turning off the alarm and opening the door prompts repeated warnings not to do it.
  • The polite psycho showing up at the door and then killing his friend escalate the threat.
  • Catching the stranger and the invaders breaking in are nominations before the playroom fight is emphatically chosen.
  • The pool-table fight’s physical impacts and unusual room make it especially effective; more scenes of that quality are desired.
  • The neighbor betrayal and the stranger’s rescue are additional scenes; both hosts reaffirm the playroom fight.

What’s Aged the Best?

The premise; future-setting graphics; gun cabinets; 85-minute runtime; “Release the beast”; refrigerator reveals

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:16Read transcript
  • The one-sentence legal-crime premise is compared with Carpenter films and 48 Hours.
  • Opening future-setting graphics work well, and passing the predicted dystopian date is satisfying.
  • A hypothetical Donald Trump presidential cameo is imagined as a striking missed coincidence.
  • Secret-code gun cabinets are praised, though the children were not trained and weapon-class restrictions are unexplained.
  • The concise 85-minute runtime is preferred to long modern films or a Purge television series.
  • Release the beast and the other ritual slogans are memorable; refrigerator-door surprise shots remain effective.

Mallory Rubin Award: Did This Movie Need a Better Sex Scene?

More of Grace’s private life

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:34Read transcript
  • A better sex scene is desired, but a teenage scene has limits and a parental quickie is floated.
  • A sexual scene establishing Grace as unhinged is proposed; leaving the family’s viewpoint is challenged, prompting a neighbor-window alternative.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Mary’s wig and characterization; Zoe; the former novelty of Hawke in horror

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:51Read transcript
  • The wig looks cheap, and the character lacks depth despite the performer’s ability; social anxiety about the neighbor party could have helped.
  • The shock of Hawke in this genre has faded; the short production schedule and inability to leave the house are discussed as limits that also create claustrophobia.
  • Zoe is criticized for ignoring her boyfriend’s obvious threatening behavior on Purge night, compared with Scream’s boyfriend trope.

Recasting Couch

Jessica Chastain; Keri Russell; Laura Linney; Sandra Bullock; Sydney Sweeney; Emilia Clarke; Rose Leslie

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:20Read transcript
  • Sydney Sweeney is proposed for a modern Zoe; 2013 replacements for the wife include Jessica Chastain and other proposed actresses, with agreement that the part needs more material.
  • A modern version leaves Sweeney between age groups; Emilia Clarke and Rose Leslie are alternatives for the mother.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Manson influence; Hawke’s backend deal; Halloween attractions; Grace’s stare; Chatsworth house; divided reviews

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:05Read transcript
  • The white-dressed killers reportedly draw on Manson followers; Hawke’s upfront fee is stated as $3,000 with backend compensation.
  • The film became a Halloween Horror Nights scare zone and later a maze.
  • Grace reportedly does not blink during the climactic scene; the filming house is located in Chatsworth.
  • The director’s affection for films with middling Rotten Tomatoes averages becomes a defense of provocative genre movies.

Apex Mountain

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:21Read transcript
  • Hawke’s 2012–14 run is proposed over the earlier Training Day choice, stressing original projects and upcoming Boyhood.
  • Home-invasion films favor The Strangers instead.
  • Lena Headey receives a yes because she leads a successful movie while Thrones becomes a phenomenon.
  • Blumhouse’s peak is placed later with Get Out and the Halloween revival; this period is its ascendance.
  • Pre-Trump political commentary and bizarre evil boyfriends are raised without a settled affirmative answer; more Henry material is desired.
  • Anger at listener movie complaints is jokingly proposed as another Apex.

Picking Nits

Condiment-filled refrigerator; home defense; boyfriend rewrite; casual timing; Henry’s plan

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:05Read transcript
  • The refrigerator appears stocked mainly with ketchup and mustard, attributed speculatively to the small budget.
  • The alarm salesman’s wealth is questioned; an underground shelter would make more sense than a home extension.
  • The director reportedly originally had the daughter threaten the father, but the studio required the less convincing boyfriend rewrite.
  • The family’s casual loss of time before lockdown is implausible.
  • Henry’s expectation of a continuing relationship after killing Zoe’s father makes no sense, and his older-boyfriend behavior is troubling.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Crime rules; aftermath; hospitals; economics; government; workplace incentives; escape by plane

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:26Read transcript
  • The limits of legal crime and the contrast between victimizing disadvantaged people and settling personal grudges are questioned.
  • The killers’ arousal is questioned, and overwhelmed hospitals or morgues are imagined.
  • The security company’s reviews and the policy’s claimed effectiveness are challenged; the one-percent statistic is corrected from crime to unemployment.
  • Glass, doors, hoses and security could be profitable businesses in this society.
  • Democratic approval versus imposed policy is questioned; later films’ Staten Island pilot is recalled.
  • Time off for cleanup, social norms, fantasy leagues and betting are imagined.
  • Managers could be targets, discouraging promotion or enabling professional advancement; this could support a new television version.
  • Leaving by the back door is suggested but the surrounding attackers and unsafe streets make escape difficult.
  • A long international flight raises questions about airline prohibitions, pilots and American airspace; an airplane-set sequel is proposed.

Who Won the Movie?

Blumhouse; Ethan Hawke

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:17Read transcript
  • Blumhouse is selected; another speaker had intended Hawke for his pay and performance but acknowledges Blumhouse’s breakthrough.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Blumhouse

Producer review

Better than expected; effective 85-minute confinement

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:36Read transcript
  • After Craig is invited to react, the discussion proposes staged Purge sports and acknowledges that spectators would also be at risk.
  • The reaction is more positive than expected despite the genre not being a favorite, praising the short runtime and confined setting as a twisted Home Alone.
  • The stranger’s presence is framed as a trolley problem, provoking competing responses about family protection and letting him stay.

More from the conversation

The premise combines one legal-crime night with relentless home invasion, recalling Escape from New York and Assault on Precinct 13.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:46Read transcript
Ethan Hawke’s early-2010s career resurgence and Blumhouse profit-participation model frame the production.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:16Read transcript
The premise reportedly followed a road-rage incident and a remark by the director’s wife; Blumhouse provided a small production budget.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:05Read transcript
The confined low-budget setting makes the Hollywood narrative rules feel uncertain and the fictional society invites economic and logistical questions.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:53Read transcript
The filmmakers’ gun-control interpretation prompts disagreement about original intent, later political resonance and horror as a socially predictive genre.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:37Read transcript
Earlier joking leap-day and simulated-crime amusement-park proposals are compared with the premise, without claiming authorship.
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:02Read transcript
Grand Theft Auto provides a comparison for the fantasy of escaping social rules.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:27Read transcript
The franchise’s sequels, television run and disturbing masks are discussed alongside The Strangers and Funny Games.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:42Read transcript
The small budget and reported financial success are contrasted with the wooden opening; Hawke’s perceived taste lends credibility distinct from a conventional action hero.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:47Read transcript
Dedicated film channels and television marathons are praised as effortless rewatching routes.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:47Read transcript
Unusual fight settings prompt comparisons with garages, saunas, spas and churches.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:23Read transcript
A Purge-night broadcast with sports-style pregame analysis is imagined.
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:35Read transcript
Questions about safe states and international escape lead to a debate over surviving alone or with family; Craig is explicitly invited to answer and prefers being alone.
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:36Read transcript
The hosts defend varied episode choices and maintaining a few major films for future coverage; Country Strong was chosen partly for its larger career discussion.
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:15Read transcript
An imagined NBA purge night expands into commissioner and television-panel impressions.
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:15Read transcript
The hypothetical sports purge returns with league publicity, player absences and generational complaints.
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:15Read transcript
Frank Grillo is described as friendly and upbeat in a personal school-family acquaintance, contrasting with his screen roles.
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:24Read transcript