Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Horror Movies Passenger horror movie trailer leaks online, and it looks like the scariest movie of 2026
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
Alan Ritchson as 81 in War Machine
Sci-Fi Movies War Machine director says practical FX was "paramount" to make the sci-fi action movie feel as real as possible
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
Ghostface in Scream 7
Horror Movies Scream 7 review: "Never as sharp as the series' best, but still has a few neat tricks up its billowing sleeve"
Glen Powell as Becket in How to Make a Killing
Comedy Movies How to Make a Killing is Glen Powell's latest mid-budget movie, and I hope he never stops making them
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride bombs at the box office with $13.6 million opening against a $90 million budget
Return to Silent Hill protagonist James Sunderland
Horror Movies Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Horror Movies 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Sci-Fi Movies Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride earns mixed first reviews, as critics call it everything from "a modern classic" to "unholy mess"
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride's violence was "pulled back" after test screenings, but director Maggie Gyllenhaal stands by what was kept in
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
Jacob Elordi as the Creature in Frankenstein
Horror Movies The 25 best Netflix horror movies to watch right now
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Adventure Movies

The Purge review

What would happen if one night of the year you could commit any crime you wanted?

Reviews
By Neil Smith published 30 May 2013

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

“Things like this aren’t supposed to happen in our neighbourhood!” says Ethan Hawke as masked intruders smash into his family’s house to murder the drifter his son has let inside.

But then this is America 2022, a “nation reborn” which lets its citizens ‘purge’ themselves every year with one night of random violence.

The Hunger Games -flavoured rhetoric gives a futuristic sheen to what’s really another spin on Assault On Precinct 13 , with Hawke and wife Lena Headey debating whether or not to placate psycho preppie Rhys Wakefield or try and hold the fort Straw Dogs -style.

You may like
  • Georgina Campbell as Jane in Psycho Killer Barbarian star's new slasher horror called "abysmally dull" and "a nothing burger of a movie" in scathing first reviews
  • Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
  • Chris Hemsworth in Crime 101 Chris Hemsworth looks criminally good in the new Crime 101 trailer

James DeMonaco’s blood-splattered thriller begins well before expiring slowly from multiple improbabilities.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic and writer who contributes regularly to Heat, SFX and Screen International. He's a long-time member of the London Film Critics’ Circle and was a contributing editor at Total Film for many years.

Read more
Georgina Campbell as Jane in Psycho Killer
Barbarian star's new slasher horror called "abysmally dull" and "a nothing burger of a movie" in scathing first reviews
 
 
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
 
 
Chris Hemsworth in Crime 101
Chris Hemsworth looks criminally good in the new Crime 101 trailer
 
 
Glen Powell as Beckett Redfellow in How to Make a Killing
Glen Powell's new crime thriller movie How to Make a Killing debuts to disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score
 
 
Joe Kerry as Travis 'Teacake' Meachum and Georgina Campbell as Naomi Williams in Cold Storage
Stranger Things star's new zombie horror Cold Storage is a love letter to gooey, goofy sci-fi from the early 2000s
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry in The Gray Man.
The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
 
 
Latest in Adventure Movies
Karl Urban as Captain Connor in The Bluff
The Boys star's new swashbuckling actioner compared to Pirates of the Caribbean in mixed-positive first reviews
 
 
Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Sebastian Hansen in A Minecraft Movie
A Minecraft Movie 2 producer drops the biggest hint yet that the Ender Dragon will appear in the sequel
 
 
Dwayne Johnson in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Dwayne Johnson shares a new behind-the-scenes look at Jumanji 3 and tribute to Danny DeVito as his co-star wraps filming
 
 
Skeletor in Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe director refused to compromise on Skeletor's look: "F**k that, he has a skull face"
 
 
Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay in The Mummy
A fan favorite Mummy star is hopeful to reunite with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz
 
 
Skeletor in Masters of the Universe
New Masters of the Universe trailer unveils its Superman-esque plot and Jared Leto's Skeletor
 
 
Latest in Reviews
Asus ROG Azoth 96 HE gaming keyboard on a wooden desk
The Asus ROG Azoth 96 HE has returned to take the magnetic crown, but that price tag is going to be a problem
 
 
A Thrustmaster T248R and its pedals on a grey carpet
The Thrustmaster T248R is making me question where a sim racing wheel with no direct drive and no modular wheelbase fits in the market in 2026
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Slay the Spire 2 early access review: "Instantly familiar, but already bursting with new ideas"
 
 
Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy Emily Rudd as Nami and Jacob Romero as Usopp standing on the deck of the Merry in One Piece season 2
One Piece season 2 review: "It's hard to imagine a better version of One Piece in live action"
 
 
The player raises their fist as it glows blue in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Monster Hunter Stories 3 review: "This Pokemon-like JRPG evolves to almost match the highs of the main series' hunts"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Peak mesa biome
    1
    Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads to see whose game would see more
  2. 2
    Samurai Champloo is getting a live-action Netflix series from One Piece studio, and the original creator is on board
  3. 3
    It: Welcome to Derry season 2 is officially in the works, as showrunner promises "something greater" than season 1
  4. 4
    "F***ing Colonel Shepard dies in Mass Effect 3, and that makes us the Worst Company in America," former EA exec laments
  5. 5
    55-year industry vet made the first CRPG, got laid off, went bankrupt, but "I don't care": "Business does not love you"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...