LOS ANGELES: The gulf between rich and poor; America’s culture of violence; freedom pushed to its extreme limits: “The Purge: Anarchy” may be primarily an action movie, but it broaches some highly political themes.

The film, a sequel to the 2013 surprise hit original, follows the same concept: Set in the near future, in order to keep crime rates down there is an annual “purge” when for 12 hours all crime is legal, and no emergency aid available.

The first film focused on an attack on a wealthy family for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate. The sequel follows five characters battling to survive a night together on the streets of Los Angeles. Shot in LA’s business district it is more spectacular than last year’s “The Purge,” and is more of a action thriller than the first one, which was essentially a horror flick.