The Reluctant Fundamentalist

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The Reluctant Fundamentalist

R

2013

2h 8m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

56%

Tomatometer

99 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In New York, a Pakistani native (Riz Ahmed) finds that his American Dream has collapsed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Critics Consensus

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is technically proficient, with solid acting and cinematography, but its message is so ambitious and heavy-handed that some of its power is robbed.

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Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

The film could have done with more finesse in the way it begins and ends, but there are enough subtle shifts in the main act to keep me with it. After Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is [Mira] Nair's most engaging work.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 20, 2019

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

Every new revelation is signposted so heavily, you can almost hear the hammer blows.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 5, 2017

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Meredith Slifkin

Film Comment Magazine

The film seems to dance around the idea of being really critical of America-of analogizing American "exceptionalism" with Islamic fundamentalism-and instead resolves itself with an ending more befitting of a beauty pageant contestant's speech.

Jun 14, 2013

Full Review

Rose Ho

The Asian Cut

The film has a thought-provoking perspective and admirable goal of portraying what it was like for Muslims living in America during the aftermath of 9/11, but the somewhat clunky and stuffed script hinders the message.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 23, 2025

Full Review

Anna M.M. Vetticad

annavetticadgoes2themovies

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is not in the league of Nair’s best films, Salaam Bombay and Monsoon Wedding, but it’s thoughtful and thought-provoking all the same. For that and for Riz Ahmed, it’s definitely worth a watch.

Rated: 3.5

Jan 15, 2023

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

This drab political thriller is not unlike a relaunched brand of margarine. The creators obviously have the best of intentions, but cannot avoid the blandest of outcomes.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 7, 2020

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Faiz D

I thought the movie was just fine. Great soundtrack though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Audience Member

Good story telling. A little Exciting. Real.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

I think this is probably a good movie. The cast is impressive. I just couldn't tolerate more than about 10 minutes of it, because the audio was horrible. I could barely make out what the characters were saying. Very hollow sound. Other reviewers seem not to have had the same problem. I watched it on Xfnitity streaming, I have never had this issue with any other movie on this platform.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

Emotion, perspective, worth watching

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It’s a very powerful movie with a good story and message. Unfortunately though the movie does suffer from pacing problems and narrative issues. Performances are decent but the movie wasn’t really as thrilling as it’s marketed to be. Still it’s a good movie worth watching for the subject matter alone.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/19

Full Review

Audience Member

It’s a very powerful movie with a good story and message. Unfortunately though the movie does suffer from pacing problems and narrative issues. Performances are decent but the movie wasn’t really as thrilling as it’s marketed to be. Still it’s a good movie worth watching for the subject matter alone.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/19

Full Review

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Mira Nair

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Riz Ahmed

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Synopsis

In New York, a Pakistani native (Riz Ahmed) finds that his American Dream has collapsed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Director: Mira Nair
Producer: Lydia Dean Pilcher
Screenwriter: William Wheeler
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Cine Mosaic, The Mirabai Films, Doha Film Institute
Rating: R (Language|Brief Sexuality|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 26, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $519.5K
Runtime: 2h 8m

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