KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: 3/5
This is a pungent thriller about a radicalised Muslim that has a keen sense of the complexity of the issues. In a seven-minute, pre-title sequence, we see Hassan (Akhtar), abducted by US agents on the streets of Paris where he lives, and spirited away to Pakistan where he is tortured as a terrorist. Fast-forward three years: Hassan, whose release is unexplained, has connected with a terrorist cell in New York. He goes to stay in the suburbs with his old friend Sayeed (Bamji), a thoroughly Americanised Pakistani doctor. On this slightly rickety foundation, the script, by director Castelo and Akhtar himself, can erect scenes of expository dialogue that sensibly, if a bit woodenly, distinguish fanaticism from mainstream religion.
In the current climate, particularly in the US, this is an achievement in itself, but the film creates a strong sense of tension as Hassan prepares for his appointment with martyrdom.
Hassan's single-mindedness makes Akhtar's a slightly one-note performance and some improbabilities grate. But this is an honest thriller, alive to its subject and a good watch.
Cast: Ayad Akhtar, Firdous Bamji, Nandana Sen, Sarita Choudhury.
Director: Joseph Castelo
Running time: 90 minutes
Rating: M Contains violence and offensive language
Screening: Academy
Verdict: Chilling, understated, though occasionally plodding thriller depicting the making of a terrorist.
