The Purge is a 2013 science-fiction horror movie that follows the family of the security systems salesman James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) as they try to survive the annual Purge - a 12-hour event where all crimes, including murder, are legal. Set in a dystopian United States, the Purge is an effort by the government to reduce crime rates and unemployment by allowing people to release their pent-up rage and aggression once a year.
James is well-off and has prepared his family for the Purge by installing a security system in their home. However, things go awry when his son Charlie (Max Burkholder) allows a stranger to seek refuge in their fortified house, putting their safety in danger as a group of masked attackers come to claim the stranger. One of the attackers is armed with a remote control that can disable the Sandin's security system, forcing the family to fight for their lives throughout the night.
As the night wears on, the Sandins face several challenges, including the appearance of a wealthy group of purgers who want to hunt and kill the homeless man the Sandins are protecting. Through their struggles, James and his wife Mary (Lena Headey) learn about their own moral compass and find themselves questioning the Purge and the motives of the government that allows it to happen. In the end, they make a daring escape from their home and survive the rest of the night, but not without facing the terrifying consequences of the Purge.