In 2013 The Purge was released; the concept, that of a dystopian future where once a year, for a period of twelve hours, no actions would be taken against anyone committing a crime, including murder that was committed during the time, was a fascinating one.

Apparently its writer and director James DeMonaco was inspired by an episode from the original Star Trek series, which saw our heroes land on a planet that was just about to embrace a period of violence and aggression, known as the “Festival”.

The film not only went on to spawn a short-lived TV series, but this latest entry marks the fifth in the franchise overall, and takes place eight years after the events of The Purge: Election Year.

Escaping the poverty of their home country Mexico are couple Adela (Ana de la Reguera) and Juan (Tenoch Huerta). They have made it to the land of the free, the good ole US of A, where they both manage to get jobs.

Their timing is a little unfortunate however, as the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) have once again regained power, and have decided to re-instate the annual Purge. This means that for a period of twelve hours, a lawless society is in place where anything goes, including murder. And as Mexicans, deemed as despicable foreigners by many of the racists that take part in the Purge, they are a likely target.

Still, it’s only twelve hours, and the pair have plans in place to keep them safe during this dangerous time. However, for those taking part in this particular Purge, they feel that perhaps this time restriction just isn’t long enough for them to get their purging needs out of their system.

With every iteration of the franchise, the overall concept doesn’t really change, with only something extra bolted on to it. This entry has a rather woolly ‘be careful what you wish for’ attitude about it; it’s only after settling down in the US that the Mexican couple realise that they’ve leapt from a lightly heated frying pan into an inferno. It’s a theme that is heavy-handed, and delivered with some cringing dialogue and underwhelming acting.

It also struggles from being insular; focusing on it does on this Mexican couple, and the American family that Juan works for. Despite it being a national issue, the film feels disappointingly small scale. This was probably a budget issue more than anything else, coming in at a respectable $18 million as it did, but that kind of cash isn’t going to get you large scale city set pieces.

Still, Mexican director Everardo Gout, making his directorial debut, manages to evoke the hysteria surrounding the Purge fairly well, before it all starts to trail off resembling a rambling b-movie western.

The biggest surprise regarding the franchise overall however, is that a certain ex-president didn’t embrace the film’s concept as national policy, to support his wall-building antics. So small mercies and all that.

Although initially touted as the last in the series, DeMonaco has since stated that a sixth entry is now on the cards. Hopefully it will see a return to the darkly menacing events of a Purge on a greater scale, rather than this lackadaisical affair.