About

is a 2013 American dystopian action horror film written and directed by James DeMonaco. Premise • The Annual Purge: Set in a near-future America (the year 2022) governed by the New Founding Fathers of America, the government sanctions a 12-hour period once a year where all crime—including murder—is completely legal. • Societal Justification: The event is pitched as a way to let citizens "purge" their aggressive urges, keeping year-round unemployment and crime rates remarkably low. Plot Summary • The Sandin Family: James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) is a wealthy salesman who makes a fortune selling high-tech security systems to his affluent gated community. He, his wife Mary (Lena Headey), and their two kids, Zoey and Charlie, lock down their home to wait out the night. • The Inciting Incident: Charlie takes pity and temporarily disables the home's security system to let in a bleeding, homeless stranger (Edwin Hodge) who is being hunted by a violent gang of wealthy, masked youths. • The Siege: The leader of the pursuers threatens to attack the house and kill the family unless they surrender the stranger outside. • Conflict & Betrayal: As the Sandins wrestle with whether to give him up, internal tensions erupt, James is fatally wounded during the chaos, and their own envious, smiling neighbors turn on them out of deep-seated class resentment. • Resolution: The family and the stranger manage to survive until the morning siren signals the end of the 12-hour Purge, at which point the neighbors spare them and leave.