The Purge

"One night a year, all crime is legal."

2013 1h 25m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 9,040

Science FictionHorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Given the country's overcrowded prisons, the U.S. government begins to allow 12-hour periods of time in which all illegal activity is legal. During one of these free-for-alls, a family must protect themselves from a home invasion.

“One night a year, all crime is legal.”

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Cast

Ethan Hawke
James Sandin
Lena Headey
Mary Sandin
Max Burkholder
Charlie Sandin
Adelaide Kane
Zoey Sandin
Edwin Hodge
Bloody Stranger
Rhys Wakefield
Polite Leader
Tony Oller
Henry
Arija Bareikis
Mrs. Grace Ferrin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James DeMonaco
Writers: James DeMonaco
Languages: English
Countries: France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $91M — a 30.4× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Purge Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James DeMonaco, shot by Jacques Jouffret. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nathan Whitehead. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James DeMonaco directs. Jacques Jouffret behind the camera. Nathan Whitehead scores. Peter Gvozdas cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in France, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Grossed $91M — a 30.4× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
4Released 13 years ago.
5International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.
6Part of the "The Purge Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
7Directed by James DeMonaco, shot by Jacques Jouffret. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Nathan Whitehead. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Peter Gvozdas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey and Max Burkholder carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "One night a year, all crime is legal.".
12IMDB entry: tt2184339 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 15 themes, including "california", "dystopia", "barricade", "bloody fight".
14Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jacques Jouffret
Original score: Nathan Whitehead
Editing: Peter Gvozdas
Production design: Melanie Jones
Costume design: Lisa Norcia
Makeup / hair: David Larson
VFX supervisor: Sean Andrew Faden
Sound: Sebastian Sheehan Visconti
Stunt coordinator: Kurt Bryant
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $91,266,581
Return: 3042% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Purge (2013)

Part of

The Purge Collection

The Purge Collection unfolds in a dystopian America where all crime is legal for one night each year. Blending horror, action, and social commentary, it explores themes of survival, morality, and systemic control through intense, suspenseful storytelling and a chilling vision of sanctioned chaos.

Also by

James DeMonaco

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

inaneswine2017-11-20
★ 7/10
It's the basic premise that makes The Purge such a chilling watch and, thought you may see the thrills and scares coming from a mile away, it's the most interesting home-invasion thriller that I've seen in a very long time.
CustomerConsumer2018-07-10
★ 3/10
The core idea of a "purge" is interesting, but every single moment of "horror" or "thrill" in this film is a predictable jumpscare. It takes itself way too seriously and makes some heavy-handed social commentary, while at the same time being really unconvincing and riddled with tropes. Whenever one of the masked villains is on-screen you can count on them to silently tilt their head to the side, playfully skip with a weapon in hand, or giggle about killing. The main concept and Lena Headey's acting bumped the rating up a little.
tmdb766221952023-12-21
★ 2/10
Atrocious directing and cheesy jump scares disguised as nonsensical "social commentary."