An undercover British journalist infiltrates the online propaganda channels of the so-called Islamic State, only to be sucked in by her recruiter.
“Profile,” which is based on the novel ‘In the Skin of a Jihadist,’ starts out slowly and then moves very fast into an intense amount of cyber-defying suspense. Anna Erella (Valene Kane), who has changed her name to Amy and who is now under police protection full-time, is a British Journalist who thinks she has what it takes to go undercover and cozy up online to terrorist recruiter Abu Bilel Al-Britani (Shazad Latif). What she hasn’t accounted for is how very quickly she will get taken in after her heart takes over her head.
Arguing with her co-workers and mission leader Vick (Christine Adams), about how simple it will be to handle this young and attractive bully, Amy seems to have more than she can handle as she wins the battle, but over time, loses the war and the ability to differentiate between who the real enemy is. While Amy can barely keep abreast of his bullying strategy, she also has a difficult time trying to understand her computer which is her only weapon of defense. With every online visit, she becomes more vulnerable and less equipped while he teases her with mortifying terroristic actions while plotting against her naivety and luring her into being his next wife and recruit.
Director Timur Bekmambetov does an excellent job of building each of the main characters into two entirely different personalities which are developed by their diverse upbringings. Even though Abu Biel has an abrasive personality, there are plenty of underlying traits that expose him as a frightfully lonely man who needs to be coddled. The graphic details of the terrorist activity and the unrelenting attempts of Amy to back out when she can no longer handle the situation made for entertaining drama that carries the film through its weaker elements. While there are some highly dramatic points carried throughout the film, it appears that the dragging mouse game both adds to and takes away from the overall effect.
In Theaters Friday, May 14th
