The Purge, A Film About a Government-Sanctioned Period During Which Nothing is Illegal

Universal has released a full trailer for The Purge, a speculative thriller directed by James DeMonaco that explores what would happen if once every year, nothing were illegal. The film stars Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey as James and Mary Sandin, and will release in theaters on June 7th, 2013.

If on one night every year, you could commit any crime without facing consequences, what would you do? In The Purge, a speculative thriller that follows one family over the course of a single night, four people will be tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves when the vicious outside world breaks into their home.

In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity—including murder—becomes legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It’s one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.

images via The Purge

via The Awesomer