Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- visceral
- sardonic
- late night horror marathon
- political thriller night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a mixed but effective combination of timely political themes, jolts, and action, though its satire was considered unsubtle.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The annual Purge is legally maintained by the ruling party and becomes the mechanism through which political enemies and poor communities are targeted.
Leo, Charlie, Joe, Laney, and Marcos are stranded on Washington streets and must endure coordinated attacks until dawn.
Senator Charlie Roan campaigns against the Purge while the state and its beneficiaries attempt to eliminate her.
Purge attackers use theatrical masks and ceremonial imagery while hunting the protagonists across darkened Washington.
Films like The Purge: Election Year, and why
The Purge: Anarchy
shares survival horror, political violence, dystopian social satire, and an overnight struggle against organized attackers
V for Vendetta
shares dystopian action, institutional corruption, urban survival, and morally charged violence
The Strangers
shares one-night survival horror, masked attackers, class anxiety, and escalating home-invasion-style threats
Movie Details
- Director
- James DeMonaco
- Release Date
- 2016-06-29
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (5598)
Cast
- Elizabeth Mitchell
- Frank Grillo
- Mykelti Williamson
- Betty Gabriel
- J. J. Soria
- Raymond J. Barry
- Edwin Hodge
- Kyle Secor
- Ethan Phillips
- Terry Serpico
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Purge: Election Year about?
- A security chief escorts a presidential candidate through a state-sanctioned night of murder, turning Washington, D.C. into a battleground for political survival.
- What is The Purge: Election Year like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Purge: Election Year as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Purge: Election Year violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Purge: Election Year as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Purge: Election Year?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a mixed but effective combination of timely political themes, jolts, and action, though its satire was considered unsubtle.
- Which films are like The Purge: Election Year?
- Films with a similar feel include The Purge: Anarchy, V for Vendetta, and The Strangers.
- How long is The Purge: Election Year?
- The Purge: Election Year runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Purge: Election Year?
- In United States, The Purge: Election Year streams on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus.
