The Reluctant Fundamentalist Reviews

It takes an open mind to understand certain things. It is a mast see for everyone who question things and is capable of critical thinking. Love Kate Hudson, but not in this movie. I can guess why Mira picked her, but I think it wasn't a good fit.

By Al Alexander
For the Patriot Ledger
Aside from the lead-pipe moralizing, Mara Nair's timely and important "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" is an eye-opening parable about identity and how it relates to the War on Terror. The only question is: Are Americans ready to listen?
Given what transpired in Boston last month, and considering the perpetrators were Islamic, Nair's adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's acclaimed novel about a Pakistani émigré's American Dream gone bust is likely to receive a welcome colder than a New England winter. But ignoring it would efface Sun Tzu's sage advice to "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." In other words, if we don't attempt to understand our enemies and their perceptions - right, wrong or indifferent -- what hope do we have of ever achieving peace?
That's the challenge boldly set forth by the movie that wants us to see America through the eyes of a foreign national named Changez (Pronounced Chan-gez, not Changes, as ignorant Americans call him.) Khan, a Princeton-bred corporate raider whose life of wealth and luxury tumbles down along with the World Trade Center towers. It's an act of war that results in his being forced to choose whether to side with his adopted country, which suddenly showers him with hatred and distrust, or his native one, which -- in the wake of the CIA's intrusive insurgence -- views him as a sellout and a trader.
It creates a minefield for both Changez and Nair, who must find a way to persuade us to empathize with a man from a country that aided - and possibly abetted -- Osama bin Laden for years. Amazingly, she pulls it off with no small help from an unknown Brit actor-rapper named Riz Ahmed, who instantly wins you over with a performance oozing power and charisma. Ahmed is that rare man who never need say a word to know exactly what his character is thinking. And Changez is doing a lot of it, not to mention a great deal of soul searching, as he fights against himself for control of his true identity. Once he finds it, it's both empowering and crushing, given how high the stakes become for both he and the people closest to him. And the fact that he ultimately places compassion and self-respect ahead of god and country is reminiscent of John Lennon's "Imagine."
But Nair keeps getting in the way, repeatedly forcing the story's moral to the fore instead of making the wiser choice of letting us decide for ourselves. Perhaps she was too close to her subject, having grown up in Delhi and raised with a love-hate relationship with Pakistan, the nation from which her farther fled when it seceded from India. No doubt her heart is in the right place, along with her intentions. But she and screenwriter William Wheeler ("The Hoax") spread everything on too thick, whether it is recurring scenes of Changez being targeted by bigots and zealots, or his overplayed romance with a rich American artist portrayed by a miscast Kate Hudson, hiding behind an ugly raven wig.
Yet, as much as they try to dilute the film's undeniable power, the film is saved by Ahmed and his two superb male costars, Liev Schreiber and a never-better Kiefer Sutherland as Changez's sleazier-than-he-looks boss/mentor at the Bain-like company where he arrogantly operates like a ruthless world leader, directly deciding fates of people and families he will never know or see. Sutherland is simply terrific, giving the most confident, mannerless performance of his career. Same goes for Schreiber, outstanding as Bobby, an American journalist in Lahore sent by the CIA to question Changez about his possible links to a terrorist group that has taken an American professor hostage. It's through Bobby that we learn what makes Changez tick, as he recounts to Bobby (through a series of flashbacks) how he came to love America and how he gradually became disillusioned by it.
It's a familiar, but riveting story with more than a few parallels with Nair's masterpiece, "The Namesake," in that we again follow a young man blinded by the neon lights of America before waking up guilt-ridden and feeling like he's betrayed his native culture. But if the overall impact isn't as strong this time, the message about judging people on their character and not their looks, religion or origins is deafening. And it's one we should all carefully heed if our planet has any hope of surviving.

Highly recommend it! Mira Nair is very brave to portray 9/11 in this film without showing American heroism. Instead, she shows the discrimination that a particular ethnic group so vividly experienced following the 9/11 events. Nothing fictional about that. Yet it is very nuanced and delicate in dealing with the events. Nair tactfully shows the other side of the coin while most filmmakers choose to ignore it. Beautiful writing. Great acting. I haven't read the book but certainly recommend the film. Certainly makes us think about our own perspectives.

I saw this on VOD last night and woke up this morning still thinking about it. I've often thought what draws someone to extremism - whether a gang member, anti-abortionist or Islam. As a former Immigration Naturalization Service (INS) federal investigator, I felt this movie was very representative of (unfortunate, but sadly, true) the immediate government response to Muslim-looking men post 9/11. The only thing that didn't feel authentic was the casting of Kate Hudson, albeit dark haired (what for??) and post delivery she looked heavy and old (sorry I've been through it too, but probably not the best time to do a movie as an attractive wealthy artist).

After watching the "hero"s thrilled response to the 9/11bombing, I wouldn't say the rest of the movie is anything other than a slow cliche of the making of an angry Moslem 101.
(Also casting Kate Hudson as a conceptual artist was strange, just strange.....

Beautiful, thought provoking, well acted movie. Loved it!

Based on the 2007 novel by Moshin Hamid, directed by Mira Nair, far exceeded the limited and problematic boundaries of the book; blatant honesty informs intelligent characters: flawed, wounded, irrevocably altered by heinous, untoward circumstances; Ms. Nair and fine acting gift viewers a raw, realistic, radical story of metamorphosis, indoctrination, transformation from the benign to "the reluctant fundamentalist" .
Riz Ahmed, as ("Changez (Urdu, Genghis) Khan") a Pakistani-born, Princeton graduate) was molded for the role; beautiful, with a voice that could seduce Homer's Sirens, even in the quietest moments his aura is positively, pungently powerful. "Changez" has it all: he is a wizard, soon-to-be "Master of the Universe" at a Wall Street Financial Firm; a gorgeous, talented girlfriend "Erica"(a mature, dark-haired Kate Hudson); he is soaring, inebriated with the American fantasy, all highways gilded, leading to the pot at the end of the rainbow, until 9/11/01, "the day the music died".
The movie's magic lies in the gradual demise of "Changez"; racial profiling at the airport, shunned on the streets of his adopted and loved New York City, he slowly sinks into uncertainty, isolation; bearded, floundering, eventually looking for solace, solutions in Islam. No matter personal ethnicity, you understand his disillusionment and eventual choices.
The movie is a series of flashbacks: relayed by Changez to journalist "Bobby Lincoln" (a very seasoned portrayal by Liev Schreiber) in a dingy, immaculate-challenged restaurant, in Lahore, Pakistan. Remarkable transitions, revelations, developments are tightly wrought, triggering unnerving, chilling tension, friction between the two men.
"The Reluctant Fundamentalist" raises a myriad of questions; minimal proselytization; at its core is the quest to discover one's true identity, acknowledge imperfections and ultimately in the words of Polonius "to thine own self, be true".
Mira Nair's film should be seen by all in these troubled times.
FOUR STARS!!!!
For Now.....Peneflix

As the country struggles to figure out how two seemingly normal Chechen immigrants became radicalized and bombed the Boston Marathon, there's no doubt that Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist comes at an opportune time. After her last film, the Hilary Swank-led biopic Amelia, fans of Nair have been hoping for a return to the deep explorations of Middle Eastern identity that she became known for with Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake. What they actually get is a fascinating but uneven look at how one Pakistani man had his outlook on America altered by our post-9/11 xenophobia.

Based on Mohsin Hamid's best-selling novel, the film presents a perspective on America that many are going to take issue with as it holds us largely accountable for the extreme changes that took place here and in the Middle East after the World Trade Center was hit. In the wake of 9/11 and in the grip of racism cloaked under the veil of "patriotism", anyone of Middle Eastern descent was looked upon with scrutiny, and many saw their lives ruined through no fault of their own. It's provocative stuff, and Nair is certainly willing to navigate some of the harshest aspects of it, but the film's clunky structure proves a hindrance to any significant insight.

Rising star Riz Ahmed is a charismatic presence as Changez Khan, a fiery Pakistani professor living in Lahore who becomes a "person of interest" after an English colleague is suddenly kidnapped by an Islamic fundamentalist group. In an effort to save himself and his family, Changez agrees to sit down with an American journalist (Liev Schreiber) and clear his name. But Changez is known for stirring up anti-American sentiment in his students, who are raging just outside the door, and for being an associate of Jihadists. But does that necessarily make him a terrorist?

Much of the film is recounted through flashback as a young Changez immigrates to New York in 2000 to attend Princeton and pursue the American Dream. The son of a poet, Changez seeks the finer things in life, becoming the golden child to a high-powered exec at a top financial firm. As he becomes more engrossed in the American way of life, he begins to lose much of his identity. He even goes so far as to fall in love with Erica (Kate Hudson), an American photographer struggling to deal with the recent death of her ex-boyfriend. When Changez goes back home to Pakistan, his friends barely recognize him. Even his father openly questions his chosen employment, which mainly amounts to finding ways for corporations to reduce costs through downsizing. Nair knows this territory well, having tread similar waters through Kal Penn's character in The Namesake, but here it lacks the proper nuance.

Once 9/11 occurs, everything begins to change. Treated like a criminal and a frequent target for harassment, the anger within Changez becomes a tangible thing. His physical appearance begins to change. His outlook on the people around him and his detestable job also begin to shift. He begins to see himself for the first time as a foreigner in an unrecognizable land. Most notably, his relationship with Erica takes a turn for the worse, but it's unclear what role it played in his decision to quit everything and move back to Pakistan. As good as Hudson and Ahmed are together on-screen, their entire relationship feels out of place. The same can be said for the central mystery and the "interview" framing, which is more clunky than effective. It's a distraction to what is frequently a compelling story of one man's potential turn towards terrorism.

For all that can be considered a misstep, there are just as many things that work to make The Reluctant Fundamentalist a film worthy of great praise. As expected, the film comes alive when Nair is given the opportunity to delve into the dynamics of Changez's family in Pakistan. Changez's parents have vastly different ideas about Changez's chosen employment, adding further to his identity crisis. Nair has always had a knack for using her surroundings to maximum impact, and the film hops the globe slickly from New York to Istanbul to the Philippines.

There's never a single false note to Ahmed's potent performance, which should have him among the early Oscar contenders for Best Actor. It's a complex role, one that requires he be mysterious, passionate, and aggressive. In a rare break from a string of awful romantic comedies, Hudson proves she is more than capable opposite Ahmed. She makes for a sympathetic figure as a woman too inexperienced to handle her own personal issues, while also navigating Changez's mercurial attitude. The rest of the cast is solid, with True Blood's Nelsan Ellis a real stand-out as Changez's best friend.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist lacks subtlety and gets in its own way far too often, but it's unquestionably a bold and timely piece of work with one incredible lead performance.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a smart globetrotting Thriller, which opens up timely issues to debate and features a breakout performance by Riz Ahmed.

Riz Ahmed delivers a thrilling performance that just might get him finally noticed at the Oscars. Nair has built a complex tale and added to the novel- something not many directors are able to successfully pull off. Her film may be seen as a few years too late by the Hollywood establishment, but to South Asians, Muslims or Pakistanis, this film is finally a beautiful redemption from the indignity they have suffered at the hands of 'the war on terror' and the US 'insecurity' apparatus. This film is a small reprieve from the collective punishment that has been imposed on people with certain last names and nationalities. This film is a must-see.

Good movie with a great message but at times very over dramatic.

A well-made film by Mira Nair that will open up some important dialogue. Fantastic performance by Riz Ahmed.

This is an incredible performance and an important story about the shaping of a man's character through his experiences in a tension-filled world. There is the promise of prosperity that is part of the Wall Street culture and the American Dream, and there is the influence of wise elders and their well-phrased remarks. The invitation at the beginning is to listen to the whole story. Beautifully shot too.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Red BOX not in theaters

I did see it at the University of Utah, with Mira Nair present to give a talk and do Q & A after. I very much liked the movie, and honestly, my friend and I that went to see it are STILL talking about it and going over it. We both came away with a different feeling about the ending. This movie is not just fascinating, it is important, moving and something you should see.

I've waited for the release of this movie ever since I'd finished reading this book 5 years ago. By the way, this book was my Book of the Year 2009. I'm now half excited about and half afraid of watching this movie, because I've had so many experiences of seeing good books turned into poor movies. And I must ask those who will pick a Japanese title.Never ever choose the crap(excuse my language). A bad title could ruin everything.

Mohsin Hamid's novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, was a relevant story when it was published in 2007. Five years later, its cinematic adaptation deviates very little from the original storyline, and yet remains relevant as ever.

After the kidnapping of an American professor in Lahore, his colleague, Changez Khan (Riz Ahmed), meets with American journalist Bobby Lincoln (Liev Schreiber), at a small tea house in Lahore. Over the course of their conversation, Changez's life story unravels in flashbacks. A Princeton graduate, he lived the American dream - a high-flying job on Wall Street, an upper-class American girlfriend with serious emotional baggage (Kate Hudson), a Gordon-Gecko-like boss (Kiefer Sutherland) and such brilliant prospects - without ever losing the usual comforts of a middle-class Pakistani family back home. Life was good. And then the 9/11 attacks happened, bursting the bubble he lived in. As people around him start treating him differently on account of his ethnicity and religion, Changez himself starts seeing the world, and his own place in it, differently. But is the reality of the world around him enough to shake his own fundamentals? Is he really the 'fundamentalist' they see him as?

The story is quite powerful, not least because it is the voice of the 'other'. Changez's love affair with America and Americans, which turns sour through no fault of his own, isn't a far-fetched tale. The blatant xenophobia that gripped American society, after the Twin Towers were attacked, has been well-documented and analysed for years. This is one date from the recent past that effectively changed the course of history, for ever. Here we see its effects, first hand, on a character we find easy to like. But Changez's story is not just about the wider political issues; it is about his own life falling apart, it is about the identity crises he goes through, it is about the realisation that while he appears to be one of the 'villains' to people around him, he has actually become a 'victim' of their changed perception.

The novel, narrated in its entirety in the first person by Changez, poses many messy questions and leaves the conclusions ambiguous. The film, on the other hand, does tie up loose ends and concludes on a far less ambiguous note. I have heard this often, and it usually is true, that a film based on a novel, is never really as good as the original text. This is probably because when you read the book first, you imagine, on your own, how the characters look, speak and behave; you effectively direct the film in your own mind and another film maker's vision just does not measure up.

Still, there are rare directors who can raise the written material to new heights with their renditions. Mira Nair is one such director.

Salaam Bombay! (1988) is considered her masterpiece and Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996) earned her some notoriety, but for me it will always be Monsoon Wedding (2001) that is her most important contribution to cinema - as it straddles a line between commercial 'Bollywood' films and 'Alternative' cinema, yet comes out a victor of 'World' cinema. When she was signed on to direct Vanity Fair (2004), it surprised me a little less than Shekhar Kapur directing Elizabeth (1998), but it seemed a bit odd to imagine her presenting a 19th-century, quintessentially English novel by William Thackeray. And yet, despite the odd casting of Reese Witherspoon as Becky Sharpe, the film is a decent adaptation, with interesting changes to the original characterisations and even more interesting embellishments to the atmosphere of the time. Next, she took on Namesake (2006), a particularly flawed first novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, who writes such beautiful short stories. Mira turned a mediocre novel into an excellent, moving film and extracted phenomenal performances from Tabu, Irrfan Khan and even Kal Penn. For years, her name was attached to Johnny Depp's project, an adaptation of Gregory David Roberts' Shantaram, which never got made. And now, she's back with an adaptation of another best-selling novel.

Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist, though quite profound in its subject-matter and written in an unconventional style, is not a great piece of literature. He may be limited as a novelist, but thankfully his script, co-written by Ami Boghani, has better fleshed-out characterisations. And it is definitely to Mira's credit that she has not only done justice to the themes in the book, but has delivered a far superior product.

Her lead actor does not disappoint either. Not enough praise can be levelled at Riz Ahmed for his brilliant portrayal of Changez. He is an emerging British-Pakistani talent, whose string of politically-charged films and music put him in very good stead for this role. And he has already 'played' this part for Radio 4's 'Book at Bedtime' series, so he may not have needed as much time in figuring out Changez's motivations, as another actor might have. Riz's face records every emotion so effortlessly - from innocence to awareness, from joy to silent rage - it is quite breathtaking. In fact, in the first flashback of the film it is almost jarring to see the switch from the hardened features of the protagonist now, to the bright, young, hopeful look he carried in the past. Also, I was particularly impressed by his Urdu accent - yes, in the long eulogy at the end (written by Javed Akhtar), you can hear his struggle to get it just right, but it's barely noticeable unless you are a Lahori yourself. Best of all, his accent in English never becomes caricaturish - being a British Asian, it must have been difficult for him to deliver the convincing Asian-American accent that private-school-educated Pakistanis often have. Riz has carried the entire film on his young shoulders and there is not a single scene to which he has not done full justice.

As for the other performances, Liev Schreber is excellent and the scenes between him and Riz have the kind of chemistry that the writers could only have aspired for. Veterans Shabana Azmi and Om Puri, as Changez's parents, and Lahore-born newcomer Meesha, as his sister, deliver strong, natural performances in their very short appearances. Nelsan Ellis is typically charming and Haluk Bilginer brings his usual poise to the canvas. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland. Their characters seem half-baked at times - and for some reason, their acting is quite unreal and unconvincing in some scenes. Kate's scenes with Riz lack the chemistry essential to the story and Kiefer's last scene is a tad over-the-top. Though not actually bad, theirs are the most disappointing of contributions to this otherwise strong ensemble.

The cinematography is exquisite - from the hand-held camera work for indoor scenes to the beautiful shots of the various cities the story travels to. And as usual Mira Nair's choice of music for the soundtrack is simply brilliant. She has selected well, from the vast array of Pakistani music styles, with Kangna, a mystical qawwali by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad, Atif Aslam's classical-based Mori Araj Suno and Overload's rock-based Dhol Bajay Ga. Mira, who is not from Pakistan, has managed to recreate Pakistan on screen with far more authenticity in dialogue and soundtrack than most of her peers from India have ever done (except for one odd use of 'bhaiya' instead of 'bhai' at the beginning of the film - you will almost never hear the former term in Lahore).

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is an important film, a film that matters. Its success will hopefully facilitate dialogue, debate and discussion about the harsh times we live in. It is not a masterpiece though, and it is not Mira's best work. But it is a vast improvement on the book. And while the writing, direction and editing of some peripheral scenes could have been much better, the overall experience is quite excellent.

Definitely recommended, even if only for the mesmerising effect of Riz Ahmed's intensity.

Saw it at TIFF. The story was predictable but nicely done