Where to Watch The Purge: Anarchy in the UK

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, The Purge: Anarchy is available on Netflix and Crave right now. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 6,782 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Frank Grillo anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

There is a reason The Purge: Anarchy keeps coming up in conversation. The Purge: Anarchy takes its time building the world its characters inhabit, and the patience pays off. One night per year, the government sanctions a 12-hour period in which citizens can commit any crime they wish -- including murder -- without fear of punishment or imprisonment. Leo, a sergeant who lost his son, plans a vigilante mission of revenge during the mayhem. However, instead of a death-dealing avenger, he becomes the unexpected protector of four innocent strangers who desperately need his help if they are to survive the night. Frank Grillo and Carmen Ejogo lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. The Purge: Anarchy came out in 2014. The Purge: Anarchy resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in The Purge: Anarchy. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Frank Grillo's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.