ST. LOUIS — Sometimes, all a sequel has to do is produce thrills that remind us of the original ones and possibly introduce a few new tricks. While it doesn't rewrite the book on how to create genuine suspense, Everardo Gout's "The Forever Purge" is a worthy entry in the franchise-a series of good but not great fall of society action adventures-because he sticks to the formula while taking a few new chances.
Gout's precision doesn't surprise me one bit. He directed two of the golden Cinemax Original series, "Banshee," displaying a keen eye for action suspense and how to help it withstand the most preachy of scripts from series creator/writer/part-time director, James DeMonaco. Every single "Purge" film has semi-beat us over the head with political party rhetoric and pushed our buttons all the while showcasing some of the most startling action. But here, DeMonaco, who still gave us the best film in the series with 2014's "Anarchy," goes extra-heavy on the "cleanse the nation" and "we'll wash away your sins" narratives. Some of them hit too close to home while others just rub the mind the wrong way. Again, these movies don't need an ivory tower to feel special about existing. Just dump a bunch of mostly innocent humans onto the streets during the 12-hour purge and see who survives and who dies.
But the secret ingredient here is that after the morning comes and the purge officially ends, the mad world continues to kill, setting off a war that spreads all over the United States. Just think of all the characters as John Wick after he was deemed excommunicado, but with far less martial arts and weapon abilities.
With a cast led by B-side movie stars Josh Lucas and Will Patton, along with a riveting Ana de la Reguera (who was very good in Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead"), Gout and his director of photography know what to do: scare us a few times, keep things moving, drown out the preachy dialogue, and keep the action lurking around the corner. I don't particularly jump much these days. It's not a tough guy statement, just a product of too many movies watched and several hundreds of others studied. But "Forever Purge" popped me out of my seat on at least three occasions. I didn't necessarily pee a little, but the thought was what unfortunately counted here.
Lucas tried his hand at the romantic comedy lead, but these days he's voicing Home Depot commercials, playing the heel in Oscar flicks ("Ford v. Ferrari") and a young(er) Kevin Costner on Paramount Network's "Yellowstone." But here as the husband of a pregnant woman with a grown adult daughter by his side, Lucas makes a credible action lead. His rancher may not be loaded up with the right morals and ideals but as a man who will stop at nothing to protect his family, he's solid here.
Patton adds gravitas with the touch of a line reading, and he gets a big moment to show off his skills here. Reguera doesn't have a problem holding our attention, while Tenoch Huerta and Alejandro Edda make one heck of a father-son ranch-hand duo dedicated to Lucas' family here.
Did we really need another "Purge" movie? No. Once Frank Grillo departed for greener pastures, taking his unkillable yet indelible ex-cop Leo Barnes away, the last film lost a few mph on its fastball. DeMonaco directed the first three films and then stepped away, but his scripts have gotten worse each time. It's only Gout's attentive directing eye and Luis Davis Sansans's cinematography that help elevate the action sequences, thus making the film worthy of a watch.
I can think of worse things to do than heading down to the Galleria to see my friend and theater manager Landon Burris, where he will direct you to an air-conditioned theater equipped with stadium seating and plenty of cup holders. This isn't summer prime rib like "Black Widow" or a hypnotic bag of fun like "Zola;" just a fairly well-made barbecue-made hamburger with extra cheese. It's the movie you escape real life with, even if the plot and symbolism is starting to mirror our own decaying world.
Cancel that out and just enjoy a former leading man-and now comfortable ensemble player-in Lucas join forces with the cunning and gorgeous Reguera, to save the day... potentially. In 2021, the little things get us by.
