A young Pakistani man (Riz Ahmed) comes to college in the US and stays to become a successful financial analyst. Events after 9/11 complicate his allegiance to both countries, while a hostage crisis back home provides the fulcrum between his past and the present political strife. There are some names in the cast (Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber), but it’s Ahmed’s charisma and complex performance that makes this film so effective. It also helps that an accomplished director (Mira Nair) is at the helm. She has crafted a quietly suspenseful and completely involving political drama.