Overview: Following the Peabody Award-winning documentary MEA MAXIMA CULPA, his investigation into the Catholic Church, Alex Gibney dives fully into one of the most controversial and secretive religions in the world in 'Going Clear'.

DVD Verdict: For those not in the know, Filmmaker Alex Gibney is an American documentary film director and producer who, in 2010, Esquire magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time".

His works as director include this title we are reviewing today, 'Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief' (winner of three Emmys in 2015), 'We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks', 'Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God' (the winner of three primetime Emmy awards), 'Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room' (nominated in 2005 for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature); 'Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer' (short-listed in 2011 for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature); 'Casino Jack and the United States of Money'; and 'Taxi to the Dark Side' (winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature), focusing on a taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed at Bagram Air Force Base in 2002.

'Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief' is an in depth documentary that explores what members of Scientology and just what they are willing to do in the name of religion.

Indeed, the film touches on a wide range of aspects of the church from its origin, to an intimate portrait of the Church's founder L. Ron Hubbard, to its recruiting practices, to present day practices by church officials.

But, and to be clear (no pun intended) here, the film deconstructs the church's claims by presenting a condensed history of Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, examining how celebrities interact with the church, and highlighting the stories of a number of ex-members and of the abuse and exploitation that they described seeing and experiencing.

It is not an interrogation stand off, nor does the lovely Leah Remini appear! That said, the Church of Scientology responded vehemently to the film, complaining to film critics about their reviews and denouncing the filmmakers and their interviewees.

So, just what do we discover within the folds of this new documentary. Well, the itself film breaks into three distinct acts: In the first, the former Scientologists describe how they joined Scientology; the second act recounts the history of Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard; and in the final act, the film airs allegations of the abuse of church members and misconduct by its leadership, particularly David Miscavige, who is accused of intimidating, beating, imprisoning, and exploiting subordinates.

The film depicts the role played by celebrity members, such as Travolta and Tom Cruise, through video clips contrasting their statements with the experiences of former Scientologists.

To support its thesis, the film utilizes footage of ex-Scientologists harassed and surveilled (per Hubbard's dictum that the church's critics were all criminals whose crimes needed to be exposed), and describes the imprisonment of senior Scientology executives in a facility known as "The Hole"; one Scientologist was said to have been forced to clean a bathroom with his tongue.

According to the film, actress Nicole Kidman was targeted for wiretapping by Scientology in an effort to break her marriage to Tom Cruise after she was labeled a "potential trouble source" by the church; whereas Travolta has been forced to stay in the church in fear that secrets from his personal life will be exposed.

The only thing I wish that this documentary showed was some rebuttal and defense from Scientology members, however the credits tell us that many of the top people within Scientology, Miscavige and Cruise included were invited to be interviewed, but all declined. to be on record.

This is unfortunate because it would have been interesting to see what high ranking members would say in their defense of all the allegations that 'Going Clear' makes against them. Too much to ask for, I guess. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1:85.1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

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