Imperium: Trailer Review

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Director: Daniel Ragussis
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Toni Collette, Tracy Letts

Any and all attempts by Daniel Radcliffe to shake off his Boy-who-lived associations should be encouraged. I for one would be greatly dispirited should his acting career be diminished by the Potter series being his only memorable turn - perish the thought! I don’t find his talents to be particularly astounding, he just seems like a nice guy and I fancy him a bit.

Inspired by real events, Imperium follows Nate Foster (Radcliffe), an FBI agent gone undercover as a member of a white supremacist organisation, in order to expose their attempt to make a dirty bomb. Toni Collette and Tracy Letts also star, as (respectively) seasoned agent Angela Zamparo, and Dallas Wolf, leader of the white supremacy movement.  

The trailer opens with a perturbing wide shot of two swastikas and a crucifix aflame in a field at night. This is shortly followed by Radcliffe shaving his head, images of Adolf Hitler, the Ku Klux Klan, etc. An effective way to start; white supremacy is a darkly intriguing theme.

We hear the voices of Wolf and Foster as the latter is ‘interviewed’ for a ‘position’ in the ‘organisation’:

“You’re a neo-Nazi, Harry!”
“I-I’m a what?”
“A neo-Nazi!”

Forgive me. Radcliffe’s accent is touch-and-go, but he expresses an appropriately fearful demeanour, given his situation. Letts is formidable, half-drenched in shadow. He states “This is revolutionary activity we’re talkin’ about here”. Cut to bomb activated and subsequent explosion.

The trailer is well constructed, chiefly presenting Foster’s understandable trepidation, leading the audience to experience unease as he falls further down the rabbit hole, and the legit white supremacists begin to correctly suspect him of being an infiltrator. It is sadly Nate’s character that sparks doubt. Aside from one shot of him aggressively striking the Nazi salute, he seems to permanently possess a look of great concern, like a deer in headlights. Hopefully we will be reassured in the full film, but one starts to question how the genuine supremacists didn’t start to doubt his loyalty sooner. There don’t appear to be any moments when Nate comes across as convincing in his masquerade, let alone effective in the organisation.  If only he’d had a ‘Commode Story’ up his sleeve, a la Mr Orange- fellow undercover cop in Reservoir Dogs. Put some pizazz into it, man!
        
All being well, Radders will work his magic (nudge, nudge) to form a piteous protagonist in this otherwise promising thriller.

MS

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