Imperium

This movie first was written so well and the cast was just amazing. It is tough topic, but one that we should all be aware of. It was so suspenseful, acting was great. I have been waiting for a good MOVIE ALL SUMMER, this is one you cannot MISS...Rent or if you are lucky enough to have it open in your city see it...go! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED with the Actors, STORY or the entire movie.... 10 out of a 10.....

By the way, everyone that is taking this as more than entertainment needs to lighten up and Just enjoy. It is not a documentary, it is a movie. We know we have crazy's in the world, but this is a SUMMER BLOCK BUSTER.,,, ENJOY

Radcliffe at first might seem like a poor choice to be cast as a skin head/Nazi, but in fact his characteristics make perfect sense in the film. Radcliffe is a young FBI agent that is chosen to infiltrate a local white power movement to prevent a credible domestic terror threat a la the Oklahoma City bombing from the 90s. This is not an action film with brawls and fire fights; this is a drama that tries to honestly show those involved in the white power movement. Overall this film is engaging and engrossing on its own, but also challenges itself by giving these social villains some screen time.

It is a very standard film in terms of plot, this is not a film to watch and expect twists and turns. But it tells a very compelling story through character. Each white power figure we see has their own ideas, goals and as the story progresses it shows us not only about white power, but racism and any type of extremism as well. Sam Trammell, Chris Sullivan and Tracy Letts are all brilliant in pulling us into their lives and succeeding in avoiding the obvious stereotypes that all too easily could happen. The scenes of Edward Norton trashing convenience stores and killing from American History X are left out, these are men with families, family/financial problems, hopes, dreams and its fascinating to see how their sometimes noble goals are corrupted into extreme racism.

The weak point is the ending, and everything has to be knotted up in a 2 hour film. This has the feel of the first 2 episodes of an HBO mini-series. I was left only somewhat satisfied, and genuinely curious about what would happen to each character next – and I guess that is good film making.

Eye opening and well directed. If you are looking for a drama with almost no action, that mostly avoids cliché pitfalls (other than the obvious but well enough done ending) then this is your flick!

Or maybe you do expect it. I guess in a way, maybe you do, because I did too. But it's still nicely told with a pace that may not suit everyone, because it's not fast paced and tries to stay as grounded to reality as possible. While characters in the film are not described as people in the real life, I'm pretty sure you'll guess one or two inspirations from "news" programs.

So this is actually balanced and truly fair in its depictions, without promoting that notion and not delivering. Again, this is a thriller and it is about the performances and they are exceptional. Daniel Radcliffe has grown up to become something else than a wizard. He's showing that he's able to do more. Are you ready for it?

This is all about compelling storytelling combining with just as compelling acting.

The basic plot of the film is nothing new, many films have covered this material.

Its the intricacies of the story that make it work, the interpersonal drama and tension are really powerful.

Potter excels again in this movie showing he is an actor to look for when he releases something. He doesn't always hit it out of the park but on this occasion, he does.

'Imperium's' main interest point is the subject matter, it's an important and relevant one, very hard-hitting and portraying it takes a lot of courage with the danger of heavy-handedness or bias. Toni Collette is a fine actress, have liked to loved a lot of her performances, and wanted to see how Daniel Radcliffe would fare in one of his most mature and most challenging roles.

Found 'Imperium' to be a worthwhile and interesting film but also an uneven one where potential is not completely fulfilled. Credit is due for taking on a difficult subject, which is not an easy thing to do, based on the real life experiences of Michael German, a real life FBI-agent, and there are many things to admire. With more focus and tightness 'Imperium' would have been an even better film, with much potential to be a very good even with many good things it is frustrating that the film for me was just decent.

Lets start with the positive. The look of the film is slick, stylish and suitably gritty, a perfect visual approach for the story. The soundtrack has pulsating energy yet is dynamic enough, the use of Brahms is inspired and will delight classic music fans (like me). Despite the director actually being inexperienced making a film, this is actually quite a confident directing job.

The script has tension and tautness, providing a good deal of thought and insight, while the story generally grips and has a suspenseful and bold feel to it, it's coherent too. Not everybody is going to like Daniel Radcliffe's performance, for me it's a strong contender for his best and shows how far he's grown as an actor. Fair play to him challenging himself. The cast generally did well, Tracy Letts being a standout.

Expected much more from Collette though, her character was not very interesting and gave her little to do and Collette comes over as uncharacteristically bland. Her chemistry with Radcliffe has some spark, too far and between, but the tension between Radcliffe and the supremists was far more convincing.

Did think that despite nothing being done disastrously a few elements were unevenly done. The script also can be heavy-handed and could have explored the subject in more depth at times, despite good intentions, and the story has some padding not always needed, a sometimes jumpy structure and plausibility can go out the window. The ending felt rushed and anti-climactic.

Concluding, interesting if uneven. Well done for trying. 6/10 Bethany Cox