The Profit (2001) User Reviews

biography of a brainwashing con artist

[Xenu-6 · 8/10 · 13 June 2001]

"The Profit" is the fascinating biography of a con artist who later founds his own cult, that later sets up itself as a religion. Sure, he has some problems from time to time (IRS, FBI, etc) but he is successful, i.e. he makes tons of money and brainwashes many people around the world. The concept used was the one used in "Citizen Kane", i.e. it starts with the cult leader dying and his life span of several decades is presented.

Largely a loosely disguised movie adaptation of The Bare Faced Messiah

[YRLY59E · 6/10 · 28 June 2021]

This movie isn't great. It's kinda like a Lifetime movie based on true events with low production values. It's essentially a very loosely disguised adaptation of the book "The Bare Faced Messiah", a few things changed here and there but if you've read that book it and know about Scientology that's essentially all that this movie is. Now The Bare Faced Messiah is laugh out loud funny at times but the film largely focuses on the more serious aspects leaving out the funniest stuff. I dunno what genre you could classify it as, it's a fictionalized adaptation of a biography, but you can't really call it a biopic. It's OK I guess, not great but interesting. Worth a viewing if you know about Scientology.

More's the Pity About the Lawsuit, Good Movie

[dogfreak13 · 21 March 2004]

This film could have been a triumph of art and satire. As it stands, it's definitely worth seeing (if you can get your hands on it).

Filming was shut down by Scientologist protesters a week before shooting was scheduled to end and the film has been tied up in litigation in the US ever since. The pity of the situation is that the A-list crewmembers couldn't cross the protest line because it was made up of striking union members. This meant that the production values dropped considerably and in the shots that made it into the film from that period of shooting it is obvious that it is not the same crew.

However, the movie is still a fun journey through one man's life of deceit. The acting is commendable but the standout aspect is definitely the cinematography. It's shot like a comic book, using colors to parallel the characters' journeys and accentuate the contrasts between the on-screen personalities. I could almost watch the movie with the sound off just enjoy the overall look. I strongly encourage anybody who enjoys visual style to see this film. It's also nice that this film isn't liked by scientologists and by seeing it one can thumb one's nose at their attempts to shut down free speech. :)

Clever movie that everyone should see

[KingConrad · 10/10 · 22 March 2008]

This movie has a sort of 80s feel to it but it also delivers when given a chance.

Any one who knows what this movie is about and all the back story behind it will enjoy it all that bit more. It is well made and very well written, if it could be remade I think it could be a hit... But that will never happen.

I believe this movie will go down in cult status due to its big following and future following it will gain very soon. Once it is open to buy for everyone and the internet generation get their hands on it it will spread like wild fire.

This is sadly why it has taken so long to get out. the "Cult" has tried very hard to keep this story behind closed doors... But nothing stays closed forever.

Watch this movie and learn... You will not regret it.

A Tale of Deceit

[zer0oskul · 10/10 · 27 May 2008]

This fascinating legend of a man, Leeland Conrad Powers, mad with a want of freedom, who imprisons himself in a string of faulty lies; depleting his sense of stability and spiraling him, thoroughly, into madness and obsession is well worth watching. Intense, loosely edited, but nonetheless compelling, direct and honest tale of how Satanism mixed with psychotherapeutic hypotheses based in hypnosis can, theoretically, lead to a cult of Charles Manson Family proportions and eventually a religion like Judaism, or Scientology. No offense intended, just examples.

Powers' followers are hypnotized into believing that all physical phenomenae are just processes of the mind, and not actually occurring. They avoid psychology and hypnosis ideas, and those in-the-know about them, because they are the basis of SciMIND, Powers' name for his process, and would easily discredit him as a quack, brainwashing people. The main tenet of Scientific Spiritualism, the religion, is that followers give it money... though they are a nonprofit organization.

Ironically, Powers' madness leads him to believe his own ball of hooey, and he takes himself to be a true prophet of God, though he started it all to escape the fate of imprisonment.

This is well worth watching. And, because the movie's distributor is not allowed to profit from sales in the United States, I think that you can make as many copies as you want in that country and give them away for free.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

[dongillette · 1/10 · 18 April 2021]

The acting, camera work, and lighting is simply deplorable.

I suppose the bad acting can also be blamed on the awful script, but it's just so all-around ridiculous it's difficult to lay fault on any one specific.

Supposedly "stopped" by Scientologists because they thought it was a slimly disguised L. Ron Hubbard biography, I'm also beginning to doubt that. Without that hype, this thing would never have seen the light of day anyway.

Don't waste your time, seriously.

Great soundtrack

[mrdonleone · 1/10 · 25 November 2020]

This is the worst movie I've ever seen. The story isn't interesting, the cinematography sucks, the acting is plainly bad, and it's just all terribly bad. Please do not see this movie.