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‘The Purge’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

March 7, 2023 · The Purge (2013) · Horror · Sci-Fi · Thriller · 1:21:46 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 25:24The billiard/playroom shootout scene (gunfight in the pool/billiard room) - calls it the most rewatchable scene, comparing it to a John Wick action scene for its realism
Chris Ryan▶ 25:38Same billiard room shootout scene, specifically highlighting the moment he shoots the girl jumping off the pool table and people jumping through windows

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 29:27That we've aged past the movie's dystopian near-future setting without it coming true (like Blade Runner/Escape from New York), plus semi-hidden gun cabinets with secret codes as a fun movie staple
Chris Ryan▶ 32:01The movie's lean 85-minute runtime, which he contrasts favorably with bloated modern runtimes (e.g., John Wick 4 at nearly 3 hours)

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 34:31Cersei's giant glass of wine/cab she drinks in the movie
Chris Ryan▶ 34:39The absurdity of her making a no-carbs dinner on the night of the purge

Great Shot Gordo Award

Chris Ryan▶ 35:12The surveillance/security camera footage usage, including the kid watching screens and seeing the stranger approach

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 38:10The scene where the idiot kid (Zoe's boyfriend/the household) disarms/unlocks the alarm, letting the attackers in - plus Lena Headey's character/wig being bad throughout the movie (Zoe also called out as stupid for letting her boyfriend into the house)
Chris Ryan▶ 41:21Doesn't give his own distinct pick for weakest element scene, but agrees and expands on Zoe's character being awful, specifically her scene zoning out with iPod headphones while her boyfriend menaces her father instead of reacting

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 44:50Release the Beast

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 44:58We're going to play the rest of this night out in motherfucking peace.

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 45:03No real hottest take, just wants proof the studio didn't dip into the sequels/spinoffs ('felony land') without crediting his old podcast idea about a leap-year purge night, which he claims predated the franchise's expansion
Chris Ryan▶ 45:28No hottest take because the whole movie's premise is itself a hottest take; jokingly suggests 'the purgers had a point'

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 45:39Couldn't find any casting what-ifs

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 54:59Goes on a tangent defending the show's movie selections, noting they've done 277 movies and plenty of great ones, dismissing critics who say they never pick good movies; not really an answer to the RT trivia itself
Chris Ryan▶ 54:04Cites DeMonaco's observation that many of his favorite movies sit around 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, arguing divisive/provocative movies land there; says anything above 45-50% on RT for a horror movie, he'll check it out

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 57:01Ethan Hawke's 2013 run (The Purge, Sinister in 2012, three major 2013 movies, Boyhood coming) is his Apex Mountain, not Training Day
Bill Simmons▶ 58:58For Nina Heddy (Lena Headey), her Apex Mountain is The Purge era (2013) since it's her only successful leading movie role while Game of Thrones was becoming a phenomenon
Bill Simmons▶ 59:22Builds on Chris's point, suggesting Blumhouse's Apex Mountain could be the combination of Get Out plus rejuvenating the Halloween franchise in 2018, cementing them as a studio that 'cracked the code'
Chris Ryan▶ 57:07Initially thought they'd settled on Training Day as Ethan Hawke's Apex Mountain, but comes around to agreeing his 2013 period has a higher degree of difficulty due to original films with new directors
Chris Ryan▶ 59:15For Blumhouse, Apex Mountain is their work with Jordan Peele / Get Out

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:34"The Purge" (evolved from initial pick "Release the Beast")

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:03The boyfriend character didn't really work; the original idea of the daughter trying to kill the dad over being 'held down' would have been a much better, more interesting movie, but the studio refused to allow it.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:38It's unrealistic that the family loses track of time before Purge night starts—on Purge night you'd be singularly focused and constantly checking the clock, not casually losing track at dinner.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:04:43Henry's plan makes no sense logically—he thinks killing Zoe's dad will let them 'keep dating,' but he'd then have to also kill the mom, meaning he essentially 'hates Ethan Hawke more than he loves Zoe,' and the age-gap/maturity angle makes him seem like 'such a piece of shit.'

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:33Yes - imagines Wayne Jenkins in the final scene with Grace, calling her a sociopath
Chris Ryan▶ 1:07:02Yes - imagines Wayne Jenkins over for dinner with Mary, commenting on her cooking before the purge interrupts

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:04Multiple questions about purge logistics: what crimes aren't allowed, hospital situations the next morning, whether the purge actually worked to reduce crime, investing in glass/door companies, work dynamics after purge night, and professional targeting strategies
Chris Ryan▶ 1:09:08Why so many people in the purger group were horny, what kind of Yelp reviews the security company would get, whether it's a 'what happens in Vegas' situation the next day, and how work hierarchies would change with bosses being targeted

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:19Don't let anyone in your house turn the purge.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:23If he were the Sandins, he'd build an impenetrable basement bunker, turn off the cameras, take an Ambien, and just sleep through the night rather than stay aware of everything happening.

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:53Blumhouse
Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:55Ethan Hawke — Hawk (Ethan Hawke), though acknowledges Blumhouse is a good pick

Movies Referenced (45)

Escape from New York (1981)

7 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 3:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Leap Year (2010)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 13:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sinister (2012)

6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 4:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Wick (2014)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 25:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Psycho (1960)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 24:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alien (1979)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:10:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Country Strong (2010)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 56:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scream (1996)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 26:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Godfather (1972)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 20:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 46:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Funny Games (2007)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 17:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Insidious (2010)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 7:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (3)

Chris Corner

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Saint, Open Your Eyes▶ 30:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Carpenter

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Dark Star, Halloween▶ 3:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Corman

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Silence of the Lambs, Apollo 13, Little Shop of Horrors▶ 6:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (46)

Ethan Hawke

25 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Training Day, Before Sunrise, Before Midnight▶ 4:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Grillo

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Grey, Captain America: The Winter Soldier▶ 16:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chris Mulkey

8 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Captain Phillips, On the Basis of Sex▶ 46:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lena Headey

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies▶ 34:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jessica Chastain

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Zero Dark Thirty, Crimson Peak, Molly's Game▶ 51:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gerard Butler

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Law Abiding Citizen, The Phantom of the Opera▶ 19:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Donald Trump

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York▶ 10:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Holy Fuck

4 mentions · · Known for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World▶ 46:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason Blum

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Get Out▶ 5:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Hanks

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump▶ 1:00:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brittany Staten

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 16:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Emily Brinks

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Menu, Halloween Ends▶ 13:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

James DeMonaco

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The First Purge▶ 3:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charles Manson

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood▶ 52:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗