The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a good movie that could have been great had it ended 20 minutes earlier. It's enjoyable until its final act gets caught up in an overabundance of mayhem and violence. Although the film follows a man who is accused of being a terrorist after 9/11...a day that will forever live in infamy to all Americans...this is not a grim film. Sure...it has a sad story behind it and revolves around one of the worst events in America's history but it's enjoyably positive almost throughout.
That man the film follows is Changez (Riz Ahmed.) He is a Pakistani man who is living the american dream. He has a great job with a boss (Kiefer Sutherland) who respects him and trusts his decisions. He has a beautiful girlfriend named Erica (Kate Hudson) and he's living large. However, a hostage crisis happens in his homeland and is forced to choose between the great life he has made for himself and going back to help his family. To make matters worse...9/11 occurs and he can't even buy food without people questioning him.
The film is set up as a story within a story. Changez is telling all of this to a curious journalist (Liev Schreiber) who may or may not be setting him up but mostly what's on screen is the story he's telling. That's good because there is no real tension in the journalist story until the last bits and pieces of it. Even then, however, the journalist story not only doesn't satisfy the audience as much as the other story but doesn't really satisfy the audience at all.
Although Schreiber and Sutherland are their usual excellent selves...the real star here is Ahmed. Ahmed gives the kind of performance you wish every film would have. He makes Changez a character who seems pretty tough on the outside but that's only because we don't really know what he's going through. Ahmed is fantastic here and he has restored my faith in Hollywood''s ability to churn out great performances. I usually am not a fan of Hudson but she's good here even though she doesn't have much to do.
The film is quite good at telling the story without getting too sappy or overbearing. Also...it's both enthralling and emotionally satisfying to watch Changez endure the struggles he has to face. It's an inspiring tale of beating the odds and keeping your friends and family close.
As I said...if it wasn't for those last 20 minutes...The Reluctant Fundamentalist would have been a great film in my eyes. However, it gets too boring and full of itself towards the end. Still...it's a satisfying enough film for me to recommend that you go see it. That is...if it won't hit too close to home for you.
(3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality)
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