Imperium – Film Review by M Quinn

Director: Daniel Ragussis
Writers: Michael German (story), Daniel Ragussis (screenplay)
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Toni Collette, Tracy Letts

Available on We Are Coloony

When two containers of radioactive material are discovered at the scene of an automotive accident, the FBI are immediately concerned. They fear a terrorist plot to release a dirty bomb. Agent Angela Zamparo (Toni Collette) has other suspicions and thinks it could be related to white supremacists. She works with Agent Nate Foster (Radcliffe), who goes undercover within these organisations to try and discover if the threat is real. He becomes deeply engrained in the world and starts to make his way towards those at the top of the food chain.

This is a film that really tests the acting chops of Harry Potter himself; Daniel Radcliffe. He plays an FBI agent who has to live by his wits to keep his cover in the various organisations he becomes involved with. Radcliffe continues to pick unusual parts to try and break his connection with the young magician. He can currently be seen in cinemas in Swiss Army Man where he plays a dead man! He is very much the main protagonist in this piece and is almost in every scene. He is impressive in the main but does look very dainty beside some of the other skinheads!

The film opens with a quote – “Words build bridges into unexplored regions”. It seems quite an interesting insight, possibly from a philosopher or poet. After a few seconds the quote is attributed to one Adolf Hitler, and you are filled with a sense of dread. The use of Nazi iconography throughout is quite unnerving. Cupcakes with swastika emblems, photos of Hitler in the background of scenes all set your nerves jangling. The discussions on the Jewish conspiracy and power struggles for white supremacy will always make for unpleasant viewing. The film uses these elements, while still making some of the racists seem quite reasonable or interesting people. This makes the characters more complex than your standard thug.

This is the first major work by writer/ director Daniel Ragussis, who had previously worked on a number of short films. It is an impressive first outing and shows he has potential to grow into the role. The film moves at quite a clip, almost too fast at times, as the FBI man works his way to the heart of the action. With an 109 minute running time, it feels a little rushed but the pace means it is never dull. While never reaching the heights of some of the films on this topic, it’s still a worthwhile and well constructed feature.