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The Reluctant Fundamentalist

R Released Apr 26, 2013 2h 8m Drama List
57% Tomatometer 100 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.

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The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com A film that should at least be bound to generate intelligent conversations, Nair's latest isn't without familiar issues, but it's a damn refreshing point of view. Aug 12, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Good story telling.​ A​ little​ Exciting.​ Real. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Audience Member I always say, no one becomes a terrorist for no reason. While I am not defending radicalism nor violence, the American government should be shameful of their arrogance and stop meddling their "enemies" while maintaining double standards. Riz Ahmed is excellent here. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Reluctant Fundamentalist

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Cast & Crew

Black Gold 11% 52% Black Gold The Attack 86% 77% The Attack How I Live Now 66% 55% How I Live Now Capital 58% 47% Capital Ain't Them Bodies Saints 77% 61% Ain't Them Bodies Saints Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

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, Doha Film Institute, The Mirabai Films
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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