Name: The Forever Purge
Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller
Released: 2021-06-30T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Ana de la Reguera, Josh Lucas, Willow Beuoy, Leven Rambin, Will Patton

The opening scene of The Forever Purge is a cacophony of chaos: marauders in homemade armor storming a walled sanctuary, their faces twisted with rage beneath crude masks. It’s a visceral moment that sets the tone for Everardo Gout’s fifth entry in The Purge franchise, a film that throws away the series’ usual temporal constraints and embraces unbridled anarchy.

What we have here is a road movie wrapped in the guise of dystopian horror. After the annual Purge doesn’t end at dawn as expected, a group of immigrants—Juan (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) and Adela (Ana de la Reguera) among them—find themselves fighting for survival against a nation gone mad. The film’s premise is simple but effective: what happens when the rules of your world are suddenly erased? Gout leans into this concept with some genuinely tense action sequences, particularly a standout set piece where Juan and T.T. (Alejandro Edda) infiltrate a ranch to rescue Dylan Tucker (Josh Lucas). The camera work here is fluid and immersive, putting us right in the thick of the fight.

The performances are another highlight. De la Reguera brings warmth and resilience to Adela, making her one of the most compelling protagonists in the franchise. Huerta Mejía’s Juan is equally impressive, grounding the film with a quiet intensity. Even in smaller roles, the supporting cast shines—Will Patton as Caleb Tucker delivers a memorable turn, and Cassidy Freeman’s Cassie provides much-needed emotional depth.

However, The Forever Purge stumbles when it tries to hammer home its political themes with a sledgehammer rather than a scalpel. The film’s commentary on race, class, and American xenophobia is heavy-handed at times, undercutting the tension with obviousness. A scene where military forces clash with Purgers in El Paso feels particularly contrived, as does the abrupt pivot to open borders for immigrants. These moments feel less like organic developments and more like the filmmakers checking off boxes on a checklist of social issues.

Structurally, the film also struggles to maintain momentum. The road movie format means that our protagonists are constantly on the move, but this also leads to a certain sameness in the action sequences. After a while, the relentless chases and shootouts begin to blend together, diluting their impact. A stronger editorial hand could have tightened these scenes, giving each one more breathing room to stand out.

Yet for all its flaws, The Forever Purge never feels dull. Gout keeps the energy high with inventive set pieces and a willingness to embrace the absurdity of his premise. The film’s final act, as our heroes fight their way through a burning El Paso, is a chaotic but exhilarating climax that leaves a lasting impression.

In the end, The Forever Purge is a flawed but entertaining addition to the franchise. It takes risks with its political themes and action sequences, even if those risks don’t always pay off.