The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)

A young Pakistani man is chasing corporate success on Wall Street. He finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family's homeland.

Director:

Mira Nair

Writers:

Javed Akhtar (eulogy in urdu), Ami Boghani (screen story)

Stars:

Riz Ahmed, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Riz Ahmed	...	Changez
Kate Hudson	...	Erica
Liev Schreiber	...	Bobby Lincoln
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Jim Cross
Om Puri	...	Abu
Shabana Azmi	...	Ammi
Martin Donovan	...	Ludlow Cooper
Nelsan Ellis	...	Wainwright
Haluk Bilginer	...	Nazmi Kemal
Meesha Shafi	...	Bina
Imaaduddin Shah	...	Sameer (as Imaad Shah)
Christopher Nicholas Smith	...	Mike Rizzo (as Chris Smith)
Ashwath Bhatt	...	Junaid
Sarah Quinn	...	Clea
Chandrachur Singh	...	Bandy Uncle

Storyline

A young Pakistani man is chasing corporate success on Wall Street. He finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family's homeland.

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Plot Keywords:

istanbul turkey | title directed by female | nipples visible through clothing | male nudity | hairy chest | 

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Taglines:

Terror has two faces.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Changez" is a Pakistani version of Genghis, from Genghis Khan.

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Goofs

When Bobby is talking to his chief over phone, to his back, Changez & Sameer are talking to a third person. In the next shot, they are chatting face-to-face.

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Quotes

Changez: I was just coming to see you.
Jim Cross: Interesting message you left me. "You're not letting him go"? What the hell does that mean?
Changez: It means that I'm not going to fire Nazmi Kemal. In fact, I'm not going to do any more evaluations. I'm quitting the firm, Jim.
Jim Cross: You accepted the position of associate less than three months ago. You leave now, you'll be giving up all hope of ever doing this kind of work again anywhere. You'd be commiting professional suicide.
Changez: I know I've let you down, Jim, and I'm deeply sorry ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Pain & Gain (2013)

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Soundtracks

Scottish
Written and Performed by Robert Walter
Produced by Robert Walter

User Reviews

haunting

Haunting adaptation with a soundtrack that is poignant and moves rhythmically with the movie - the song in the second half "mori araj suno" (hear my plea) is heartbreakingly apt and stays with you long after the movie is over.

Incorrectly categorized as a thriller, this movie is a slow philosophical debate over whether some aspects of the war on terror has alienated "asians" towards the other side.....Mira Nair has done an excellent adaptation - the narrative is crisp yet detailed and effectively raises questions which should be debated. This world is not the dichotomy created by Bush with his "either you are with us or against us" speech. The subject matter has been handled with delicacy - giving the lead - Changez - time to develop and pull at our heartstrings.

For the most part Nair gives an authentic impression of Lahore and Pakistan. As a current Lahore resident, even the slightest aberration from authenticity grates, so my apologies to those who found the movie clean in its depiction.

Riz Ahmed as Changez gives a performance that is the core of the movie - his slow slide towards what he perceives his identity to be is painful to watch and is sad because it is so unnecessary. Excellent at conveying a range of emotion through his eyes alone, Riz looks and acts the part, valiantly also maintaining an authentic Pakistani Urdu accent for much of the movie.

Kudos to Liev Schreiber for taking control of the character and introducing thin layers of empathy and antagonism which are palpable. After watching him, I am left wondering why he does not do more independent work because he is clearly brilliant as a character actor.

My two requests to Mira: first - please somehow re-shoot the scenes where you show smartphones in 2002/2003. A gaffe like this takes away from the seriousness of the subject matter and excellent direction and editing with nimble camera-work. Second - please come to Lahore and visit a university here to see what the students look like and how they speak. Unfortunately, for those of us who could tell the difference, it was like watching Englishmen pretending to be Americans and failing to emulate the dress code, accent, dialect and colloquial speak.

My gripes aside, I highly recommend this movie. And I repeat - it is NOT a thriller.

Details

Country:

USA UK Qatar

Language:

English Urdu

Release Date:

3 May 2013 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

El fundamentalista reticente

Filming Locations:

Elliott Street Deli and Pub, 51 Elliott St SW, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,920, 28 April 2013

Gross USA:

$552,959

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,176,576

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cine Mosaic, Mirabai Films, The Doha Film Institute

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1