It most disappoints as a thriller, the flashbacks and voiceovers and romantic entanglements so dominating the proceedings you forget that someone is bound and gagged in real time.
– Barbara VanDenburgh,
Arizona Republic,
9 May 2013
rotten:
As a culture-clash story the film works well enough, but as a character study it's a bit of a scramble.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
10 May 2013
rotten:
Ambiguity is at the heart of the novel, but Nair is never quite sure what to do with it.
– Ty Burr,
Boston Globe,
10 May 2013
fresh:
Nair has found a real gem in Riz Ahmed, who anchors the film with a charismatically watchable performance. He's in virtually every frame and you hang on his every word.
– Bruce Demara,
Toronto Star,
16 May 2013
rotten:
It's a timely narrative subject, but its treatment in The Reluctant Fundamentalist is fundamentally flawed.