In the early days of Blumhouse it seemed to be all about making new low budget genre films that could turn a profit from nothing. Each small film had great ideas and made the studio tons of money but didn't expand the scope of their film productions. The original Purge was a very grandiose concept that angered a lot of people it seemed as it was a simple narrative. For 24 hours all crime is legal, but what was presented was an intimate home invasion movie. While concepts of the government under the Purge, The New Founding Fathers, were present in the film they were not a major part of the narrative itself. I am one of the few who enjoyed the concept and intimacy of the first film as it also featured some of my favorite actors but indeed was left wanting more like most. The greatest thing about Blumhouse's success is now Jason Blum takes his productions with the outcry of the genre fan base very seriously and expands these ideas. With Purge Anarchy we saw the Purge in a citywide scale, following different characters within the 24 hours as well as the corruption of the New Founding Fathers as they were faced with the rebellion of Carmello Jones. The sequel exceeded expectations and definitely left me ready for more to come. Series writer/ director James DeMonaco, with the backing of Jason Blum has once again delivered us an amazing chapter that surpasses the previous films and incorporates a heavy onscreen synonym of our world and its current political climate. 
Two years after the events of Anarchy have passed as returning character Leo Barnes has moved on from his thirst for vengeance and turned that drive into a force for good in aiding Senator Charlie Roan as she campaigns for President. She herself was a victim of the Purge where she lost her entire family and has pressed on with her presidential campaign in the hopes of abolishing the yearly Purge. This of course scares and angers the New Founding Fathers as their entire way of life is on the line and in desperation they get rid of the one lone rule in the Purge that government officials are not to be affected by the Purge. Now anyone and everyone is governed by the Purge, which puts a huge target on Senator Roan's head. The New Founding Father's set out to dispose of the senator as well as thin out the poor that would help garner her votes. 
The corruption, racial tension and poverty represented in the movie are so reminiscent of our current political climate it's scary. Whereas the first two films were simple ideas it seems DeMonaco took the past year or so of crazed political lunacy and poured it into the film. I love films where the poverty stricken rise up against corruption and loved the rebellion of Carmello Jones in the last film, while the rebellion doesn't feel as strong here, the unification of the poor by the words of the senator is very inspiring. The American Dream is represented by Joe, Mykelti Williams best known as Bubba from Forest Gump, and Marcos, Joseph Julian Soria. Joe is a simple man who owns a deli that has served his neighborhood for many years and fathering the people who grow up in it. Marcos is an immigrant who came to America looking for hope and quickly learned our systems and politics of which our country is based on. Joe took in Marcos and together they run the del as their own slice of heaven. They defend the deli from the Purge as the representation of their American Dream. Their friend Laney, Betty Gabriel, goes out in a medical vehicle every year to help those injured by the Purge at her own personal risk, not for money but out of compassion. They represent the hope that the senator fights for against corruption. 
Laney herself is a true badass. Her name on the streets is Una Muerte Pequena or "A little Death." She lives up to that name several times in the film and doesn't take crap from anyone who tries to mess with her friends. I loved Joe to death as a smart ass stubborn old man, who while at times is a little too stereotypical for me, he also acts as a very emotional focal point for the audience throughout the film. Marcos is probably one of my favorites as we finally get to see onscreen a character of Hispanic heritage that while has a few tropes of a Mexican gangbanger, they are overthrown by his spirit and knowledge. He is the one who gets his friends truly to back the senator and makes them understand the importance of her work and the intricacies of our political system. It was so refreshing to see this type of Hispanic character especially one who believes in America so much. As someone of Hispanic heritage who has relatives who came to America filled with hope for it, it's very beautiful to see a character onscreen who believes in the country as much as Hispanics who immigrated here truly do in real life. Frank Grillo returning as Leo was really cool as he brings back all of his skills from the previous film but in a more survivalist and dire situation. Elizabeth Mitchell as Charlie Roan was a great character. Each scene she had she carried the depth of that Purge night that defined her and she never faltered from her ideals throughout the film. I will say there is a stance that she took near the end of the film that at first annoyed me a bit as it kept recurring for a good thirty minutes or so, but what is cleverly done is there is a character on the side of the New Founding Fathers that argues her point with his actions that truly disturbs you and quickly makes you wholeheartedly agree with her stance. 
While this is in my eyes a fun yet politically poignant film there are one or two things that do bother me a bit that might not sit well at all with viewers. One of which is Joe's dialogue. He is a character whom I loved in the film but every now and then he would get a one liner or statement that was stereotypically a bit racist as he said them. The lines kind of come out of nowhere as a way to break tension in intense scenes but almost made me cringe more as he said them. The only defense I can give to it is this. If you look at the film as a whole each and every race whether African American, Mexican or Caucasian has characters within that completely play into their stereotypes, but they are then juxtaposed with characters who are complete 360 of their stereotypes. You have Caucasian characters who are literally walking murals to white supremacy covered in Swastikas, KKK, white power signs and confederate flags juxtaposed with Senator Roan herself, a Caucasian woman, who within a room filled with starved and injured people of all different races takes care and lovingly speaks to an injured African American man as they both smile at one another and laugh together. The film covers a lot of bases on the state of our country and for any cringeworthy moment there are moments of beauty like that scene. 
All the political stuff aside this is the Mack Daddy of Slasher films. It's almost like someone took the idea of New Line Cinema's Alone in The Dark ,where a few Asylum inmates escape a wreak havoc on a town, and decided lets do that for a whole country! There is a bevy of interesting looking slasher type characters all with their own weapons to fit their sadistic personalities. The craziest aspect of the film is the idea that foreigners travel to America on vacation to Purge, so we get an entire group of different nationalities all dressed up in attire that evokes a sadistic feeling of patriotism. Washington, Lincoln, Lady Liberty, the American Flag all symbols used as costumes to maim, kill and torture as they all scream that the Purge is the reason America is the greatest country in the world. This scene is disturbingly shot with the killers all surrounding the camera and screaming into it. It's a sickening scene in the sense that it might what other countries think of us. 
DeMonaco shows a lot of love for other slasher movies and horror aesthetics in this film way more so than its predecessors. The first half of the movie is pure horror imagery that descends into an action thriller. Imagery that evoked scenes from Wes Craven's Serpent and the Rainbow to John Carpenter's Escape from New York. He also takes note of so many problems not just politically but socially as well. The ending action piece is paired with a sense of dread from those who would use religion as a tool for malicious intent. I also have to applaud the man for showing us how sadistic the music of Miley Cyrus is and how it can lead to spoiled evil teenagers who have never had any repercussions for their actions driving around Purging. Thankfully Laney brings out Una Muerte Pequena to deliver the spoiled ass kids a well deserved kick in the ass. The man has given us a thought provoking film, an intense horror film, a well shot action film and as stated with my last remark a funny as hell satire. While the ending seems pretty good to close the series, there's a line of dialogue that dissolves into the credits that could easily get us a fourth entry and I say keep them coming! Five out of five badass looking slashers for being one of the few amazing third films in a film series!
