The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)

"The Reluctant Fundamentalist" is a pretty heavy movie. And I think not only figuratively speaking, or at least in more than one way. In any case, quite different from the impression left by the trailer ...

The production follows a novel with quite some success apparently, describing the path of a young Pakistani from ascending to a high analyst position in an investment company in New York to the return in his home country where he ends up giving apparently nationalistic speeches while teaching in a state university. The story is shown in flashbacks during an interview taken from the main character. Interview that ends up just as reason for questioning on the kidnapping of an American professor, the reporter being a direct collaborator of CIA. Of course, at some point we get the 9.11 attacks in this story and the following enhancements of racial discrimination. As a pretty neutral viewer on the exposed themes, I don't have much to say, and anyway it's a bit complicated to emit opinions ... What's to be appreciated is that the movie, if you take it as a whole (and not just any piece of the ending, middle or beginning) manages to keep a balance and not to put all the blame on one side.

I didn't like the directing starting with the first frames. You have a complete mess in which there are some people singing, while the kidnapping scene which triggers all the following action is presented. If you want to pay attention to some details it's damn hard. The bad part is that there are other portions in the movie in which the directing is flawed = unnecessary fragmented action, dragging scenes, etc . The cast on the other hand is ok, the lead actor being actually very convincing in the role of a guy living the American dream woken afterwards by nationalist ideals but still .. "reluctant" as the title says.

The rest, as I said, heavy even in the way it flows = do not expect an action movie, it's much closer to a biopic. Actually it's a drama with enough life issues mixed together ( a bit too many I would say ). I some sense reminded me of "Spy Game" and of "The Quiet American". But to connect the movie with one of these in a way .. I don't know, maybe with a combination between the two ...

Rating: 3 out of 5