Imperium (2016)

Review

109min

Genre:       Fact-based, Crime, Drama

Director:    Daniel Ragussis

Cast:         Daniel Radcliffe, Toni Collette, Tracy Letts…and more

Writers:     Michael German and Daniel Ragussis

-Synopsis-

Based on real events and set in the modern day Washington DC area; Daniel Radcliffe stars as a young FBI agent gone deep undercover as a skinhead to infiltrate a dangerous white supremacist group and stop a domestic terrorism attack in America.

In a movie career which began with immediate global superstardom, no one can accuse Daniel Radcliffe of resting on his ‘Harry Potter’ laurels or succumbing to typecasting; from period horrors to bizarre dark fantasies, dramas to romances, ‘Frankenstein’ and even risqué stage-plays, Radcliffe has always gravitated towards doing something different, and you can’t get any further away from hero boy-wizard than an a skinhead white supremacist.

‘Imperium’  is loosely based on the experiences of former FBI agent Michael German, who co-wrote the story, and follows the fortunes of fictional agent “Nate Foster”; a young FBI analyst and anti-terrorism agent with strong cognitive skills but little field experience, who’s convinced into switching his focus from “Islamic” terrorism to the rising threat of home-grown attacks, and undertakes a deep-cover mission to stop a suspected radioactive “dirty bomb”.

For his debut feature film, writer/director Daniel Ragussis packs plenty of symbolism, moral and socio-political messaging into what is essentially a dramatisation of the nuts-and-bolts of modern extreme nationalist movements, and the lines they cross to make their ideologies a reality. Combining this narrative with a straight “undercover cop on a mission” storyline for thrills and dramatic effect, with very limited success it must be said.

The main function of ‘Imperium’ and the only place where it excels, is in shinning a light on an uncomfortable and conveniently overlooked element of American society, the phenomenon of extreme white nationalism and right-wing militants. Something which has festered in US society since the end of the Civil War; building with the “Ku Klux Klan” through to heavily-armed militias, all the way to “leaderless resistance” or “lone wolf” attackers like the Oklahoma city bomber Timothy McVeigh in 1995, and Charleston church mass shooter Dylann Roof last year.

All these extremists share a common ideology of racial purity in a “white nation; fuelled by hatred and joined together by the common mission of subverting systems of power and starting a race-war, with the newer generations trying to resuscitate Hitler’s ethos and create a “4th Reich”. Made worse by a media focused on the more easily packaged foreign threat of “Islamic” terrorism and the failures by law enforcement in tackling the issue, hence why Michael German left the FBI.

So as food-for-thought, ‘Imperium’ is an informative and reasonably intriguing drama, but it falls well short of being a captivating or particularly entertaining one and bears little resemblance to a legitimate thriller. Daniel Radcliffe dusts off his American accent and is believable enough as a young undercover agent, just about holding the film together. But he’s flanked by familiar one-note characters, particularly disappointing when high-calibre actors like Toni Collette and Tracy Letts are involved.

The film is at its most interesting when it ponders the makings of extreme nationalists and fascists, cleverly concluding with the best quote in the film of “Victimhood” being the essential ingredient to fascism, which turns fear into resentment and hatred into blame.

At heart though, ‘Imperium’ is clearly a politically motivated film with a core message of the power of speech and what it can result in; opening with the Hitler quote “words build bridges into unexplored regions”, which despite the source can be attributed to anyone and used in any way. But whether it’s intentional or not, the film challenges the fist amendment of the American constitution and questions the very notion of free speech, which should trouble everyone on any side of the political spectrum.

However the biggest failure of ‘Imperium’ is as a dramatic spectacle; there’s virtually no edge to the film and very little legitimate tension or suspense, which is highly disappointing considering the subject matter. Ultimately it feels like a well-produced TV movie, forensic and rather dull, concluding with a soppy and reflectively preachy ending.

The Bottom Line…

Armed with fascinating subject matter and a decent cast led by a game superstar, Daniel Ragussis crafts a sluggish drama with familiar motifs and no real edge;  ‘Imperium’ does well to shine a light on the dangers of Neo-fascism and a type of terrorism which pre-dates the one we’re all used to, but the package as a whole is superficially informative while failing to engage beyond that.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

The Believer (2001)

A story loosely based on real events about a young Jewish New-Yorker who develops extreme anti-Semitic ideologies and becomes deeply involved with Neo-Nazis, only to become conflicted bout his identity and live in fear of being exposed as an infiltrator in this breakout drama for its lead Ryan Gosling.

Directed by Henry Bean and starring Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix and Billy Zane among others.

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