Timur Bekmambetov's film is silly but effective; that film took things to a different level of eerie disquiet on the question of identity and real presence. "Profile" is a pretty conventional thriller with pretty conventional stereotypes
a thriller about the online grooming of vulnerable girls by ISIS ends up superficial and glib; the Russian-Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov does his best, creating a film with a dash of political traction that's also profoundly stupid
a tense and engrossing if occasionally frustrating thriller; the emotional and romantic game of cat-and-mouse fuels the film and Timur Bekmambetov invests thoroughly in their dynamic; it's also frustrating and poses a challenge for audience empathy