Imperium
15Boxes. No one likes to be put in one. If you've spent most of your formative years acting as a wizard in one of the biggest film franchises of all time, as Daniel Radcliffe has done, it must be difficult trying to leave Harry Potter behind.
Since those magical days, Radcliffe has made a concerted effort to pick projects that don't involve wands, hocus, or indeed pocus. For his latest role, he finds himself with a box stamped with a swastika on the side.
Nate Foster (Radcliffe) is an FBI agent, who is more of a desk jockey than out in the field. Agent Zamparo (Toni Collette) believes he's got what it takes to infiltrate a white supremacist group and Nate jumps at the chance to go under cover.
He does a great job of blending in, so much so that he gets wind of possible bomb attacks the group are planning. Nate then has to probe further to determine how real this threat is, without blowing his cover. He finds himself being embroiled further into their disturbing culture, immersing deeper into a dark world, in a bid to discover how feasible the threat is, but how deep should he go?
You can understand why Daniel Radcliffe would find this role appealing. Playing undercover allows an actor to behave badly, whilst still representing the law; essentially it's two roles for the price of one. Radcliffe is proving himself to be a credible talent at this acting lark, and the duality of this character is well within his abilities.
On the surface, a film that has such inflammatory social issues, could be seen as pretty risky. And perhaps it could have been in different hands.
Daniel Ragussis, making his directing debut, has made a film completely devoid of tension. At no time is there ever a real sense that Radcliffe's character is under any tangible threat; despite being surrounded by nasty Nazi types, Nate is never in a scenario of danger. The odd occasion when there's a chance he could get found out, it quickly passes.
Most people are aware that lovers of the swastika are pretty unpleasant types, but Ragussis seems reluctant to project the raw ugliness and brutality of such a group. Nate never has a baptism of fire, and never has to prove himself to the cause; the closest he gets is attending a family friendly barbeque where there is some dubious white meat waiting in the wings.
The story then is surprisingly insipid, especially when you consider the source material. It would have made more impact if it were played out with Muppets - and who wouldn't pay good money to see Fozzie Bear with a Mohawk and a swastika tattoo?
It should have been a great part for Radcliffe, but he's never allowed to get really dark and dirty with the character. This could have been a breakout role for the young actor, but as it is, it's yet another competent part that doesn't quite allow him to shine to his full potential.