James DeMonaco’s Typical Vibe
Signature vibe

Highest-ranked title
Highest-ranked title
James DeMonaco has 12 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 1990s through the 2020s. 2 rank in the Top 10%, led by The Negotiator.
Recurring themes

The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.
Dir. F. Gary Gray · With Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse

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.
Dir. James DeMonaco · With Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford

A troubled man starts working at a retirement home and realizes its residents and caretakers harbor sinister secrets. As he investigates the building and its forbidden fourth floor, he starts to uncover connections to his own past and upbringing as a foster child.
Dir. James DeMonaco · With Pete Davidson, John Glover, Mugga

All the rules are broken as a sect of lawless marauders decides that the annual Purge does not stop at daybreak and instead should never end as they chase a group of immigrants who they want to punish because of their harsh historical past.
Dir. Everardo Gout · With Ana de la Reguera, Josh Lucas, Willow Beuoy

Two years after choosing not to kill the man who killed his son, former police sergeant Leo Barnes has become head of security for Senator Charlene Roan, the front runner in the next Presidential election due to her vow to eliminate the Purge. On the night of what should be the final Purge, a betrayal from within the government forces Barnes and Roan out onto the street where they must fight to survive the night.
Dir. James DeMonaco · With Elizabeth Mitchell, Frank Grillo, Mykelti Williamson

Given the country's overcrowded prisons, the U.S. government begins to allow 12-hour periods of time in which all illegal activity is legal. During one of these free-for-alls, a family must protect themselves from a home invasion.
Dir. James DeMonaco · With Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder

On New Year's Eve, inside a police station that's about to be closed for good, officer Jake Roenick must cobble together a force made up cops and criminals to save themselves from a mob looking to kill mobster Marion Bishop.
Dir. Jean-François Richet · With Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Byrne
Born with a rare condition that makes him age four times faster than normal, ten-year-old Jack Powell looks like a forty-year-old man. After years of homeschooling, he enters public school for the first time, eager to make friends and live like any other kid—only to discover that growing up too fast means learning some of life’s hardest lessons early.
Dir. Francis Ford Coppola · With Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Brian Kerwin

Set in a dystopian America ruled by a totalitarian political party, the series follows several seemingly unrelated characters living in a small city. Tying them all together is a mysterious savior who’s impeccably equipped for everything the night throws at them. As the clock winds down with their fates hanging in the balance, each character is forced to reckon with their pasts as they discover how far they will go to survive the night.
Dir. James DeMonaco · With Paola Nuñez, Max Martini, Derek Luke

To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the others, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.
Dir. Gerard McMurray · With Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade

Sully is desperate to give his unborn son the chance he never had. Jasper wants to escape the mobsters that have infiltrated his life and business. Parmie, a local mob boss, dreams of crushing the competition. All three men live in Staten Island, and once their lives intersect, nothing will ever be the same.
Dir. James DeMonaco · With Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Seymour Cassel
Creatures, bound by the blood of the wolf, that can kill with curses and move at lightening speed, watching the night sky for the rise of the blood-red crescent moon. They are SKINWALKERS. They feed on our flesh and thirst for the taste of human blood. The red moon signals each pack, divided by principles, hell bent to survive an ancient prophecy.
Dir. James Isaac · With Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra