Imperium is a suspense-drama that is rather forgettable in its storytelling but is probably worth your time if only to see some a fine performance from Daniel Radcliffe who between this and The Woman in Black is turning into a solid actor in his attempts to get out of Harry Potter’s shadow.
Imperium
(2016)
Genre(s): Drama, Crime, Suspense
Lionsgate | R – 109 min. – $24.99 | November 1, 2016
Date Published: 10/30/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: When extremists steal devastatingly toxic materials in order to build a dirty bomb, FBI Agent Nate Foster (DANIEL RADCLIFFE), an analyst the butt of jokes from fellow agents, with help from Agent Zamparo (TONI COLLETTE), goes undercover in order to infiltrate their shadowy underworld. But can Nate find the group’s leader — and the bomb — before his cover is blown?
Quick Hit Review: If not for Daniel Radcliffe, and his desire to put distance from his iconic Harry Potter character, Imperium would’ve been an entirely forgettable, oft by-the-numbers crime-thriller that tackles much of the same subject matter as American History X though that movie was far better both in terms of plot and acting while this one is more notable for Radcliffe. He gives an almost daring performance infiltrating a domestic terrorist group while Toni Collette has a small but important role as really his only ally within the agency which was more focused on Islamic terrorists than the domestic ones. The supporting cast is decent from Tracy Letts as a controversial Internet show host apparently sympathetic to the White Supremacist movement to Sam Trammell playing Gerry Conway, who on the surface looks like a middle-class family man and finds a kindred spirit in Foster as he stands out as more cultivated compared with the other skinheads. Nestor Carbonell also has a smallish role as an agent who is antagonistic towards Collette’s and Radcliffe’s characters.
Imperium was helmed – and scripted based on the “inspired by true events” story of Michael German – by Daniel Ragussis making his feature-length debut following a couple short films. Technically speaking, there’s nothing wrong with his direction, there are a few tense scenes that work well and I can’t say I was ever bored, so plot-wise it there was compelling moments, yet once it was over, I can’t say it has very much replay value. In fact, this is the kind of movie that will be forgotten within moments afterward leaving little, if any, impact on the viewer. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Audio Commentary – Writer/Director Daniel Ragussis and Writer Michael German Making Imperium (18:37; HD) is your basic but still informative behind-the-scenes featurette that includes comments from members of the cast and crew discussing the characters and plot. Living Undercover (3:44; HD) is a featurette that looks at the undercover life and includes much of the same interview footage from the previous featurette. Cast/Crew Interviews
Theatrical Trailer (2:19; HD) Previews – American Pastoral, Blood Father, Manhattan Night, Misconduct, Green Room |
VIDEO – 3.75/5 |
| Lionsgate releases Imperium onto Blu-ray presented with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer and in 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio. This is a fine looking video transfer, colors are a tad drab (looks like there’s a filter), skin tones appear natural looking, blacks are stark while detail is decent but on the soft side in spots. There were no obvious signs of artifacts, aliasing, banding or other flaws making for a pleasing looking picture though it’s not exactly wow-inspiring. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| The disc comes equipped with an effective if not standard DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and this film comes with a nice array with mostly quiet, dialogue-driven scenes and a couple more action-packed (gunfire mostly). As with the picture, your sound system won’t get a great workout but there’s some modest depth especially in those moments when the LFE channel kicks in. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Imperium is a suspense-drama that is rather forgettable in its storytelling but is probably worth your time if only to see some a fine performance from Daniel Radcliffe who between this and The Woman in Black is turning into a solid actor in his attempts to get out of Harry Potter’s shadow. As for this Blu-ray, the video is OK, audio is alright and above average bonus features. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.