The Reluctant Fundamentalist - B

Rated R, 128 minutes

"The Reluctant Fundamentalist" a plodding, intriguing look at changing ideologies

Kate Hudson and Riz Ahmed

The new film "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" is an absorbing, well-acted drama from Mira Nair ("Vanity Fair") with a slow pace that provides a different look at how our world has changed in recent years. A young Pakistani man named Changez (British actor Riz Ahmed), graduates from Princeton, and climbs the Wall Street corporate ladder. After 9/11, views and perceptions change considerably for Changez, even though he still has a great job and a beautiful girlfriend (Kate Hudson), and as his life takes him back to Pakistan, he finds himself in a dangerous, life-threatening situation with a colleague (Liev Schreiber). Based on the 2007 Mohsin Hamid novel of the same name, Nair's slow-moving but captivating drama is more character piece than action film, though its climax certainly veers toward the tense side; it'd an otherwise alluring portrait of having the best of two worlds. Nair is an accomplished director of character-driven pieces such as this, and it shows in the engaging performances from British rapper Ahmed, who grounds the film well, and Hudson, in smaller but pivotal role that provides her strongest turn in years and something much different than the dreadful romantic comedies she's been pegged to. Schreiber and Kiefer Sutherland are also memorable in supporting roles. As with some of Nair's previous films, the plotting tends to meander at times, and it's about 15 minutes too long, not to mention considerable changes have been made from the novel. Even with its flaws, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" is a handsome, thoughtful drama with a mesmerizing Indian-flavored score that compliments Nair's assured direction. Worth a look.

Wes's Grade: B