Riz Ahmed’s 10 Best Movies & TV Shows, Ranked (According To IMDb)

Riz Ahmed is receiving universal recognition for his captivating and powerful performance as Ruben in Sound of Metal. After receiving acting nominations at the Golden Globes and Screen Actor Guild Awards, Ahmed is now a first-time Oscar nominee and for Best Actor at that. Also, Ahmed has achieved a milestone as the first Muslim actor nominated in a leading acting category.

Ahmed’s talents do not end with his acting chops, as he is quite a brilliant rapper, which he showcased in Mogul Mowgli. As a British-Pakistani actor, he has also taken to activism to raise awareness and diversity about Muslim representation in movies and TV shows, creating what he calls “The Riz Test.” Of course, his passion for acting and rapping speaks volumes in many of his projects, defying the stereotypes of South Asians. He has worked on many great projects, including in several indie flicks, major franchises, and dramas.

10 Four Lions (2010) – 7.3

Four Lions follows a story of four Muslim men who want to cause terror at a London marathon. Despite the premise and sensitive topic, the film is a British comedy that is clever and funny. It has elements of black satire, focusing on the terrorist’s incompetency to execute their plan.

Ahmed portrays Omar, who is the least incompetent in his group. It is one of the few times Ahmed shows off his comedic skills. He is brilliant and hilarious, while also showcasing the humanizing side of Omar.

9 The Road To Guantánamo (2006) – 7.4

The Road to Guantánamo was one of Ahmed’s first projects in his career. The film is a docudrama, following the story of three British Muslim men. After traveling to Pakistan for a wedding, they are imprisoned by American soldiers as their vacation coincided with the 9/11 attack. They end up in Guantanamo Bay, where they are tortured for two years, despite having no charges against them.

Ahmed stars as one of the “Tipton Three,” Shafiq Rasul. It is one of the many times Ahmed takes on a Muslim character, showcasing Shariq’s hardship in Guantanamo Bay. The film is unsettling yet captivating, depicting the mistreatment and dehumanizing nature of the detention center. The film shows interviews of real-life individuals of the “Tipton Three,” describing the tortures they endured.

8 Weathering With You (2019) – 7.5

Weathering With You is a Japanese fantasy animated film in which a rural boy from Tokyo runs away from home. He eventually meets an orphan girl who possesses the ability to change the weather.

The film is captivating, emotional, and beautiful, with great visuals and a moving story. It was nominated for four Annie Awards, including Best Independent Animated Feature. Although the movie is Japanese, Ahmed provided the English dubbing for the film and voices Takai, a police officer who works to find Hodaka.

7 Dead Set (2008) – 7.6

This British horror series focuses on a group of housemates who are contestants on a popular reality show, Big Brother. However, an unexpected zombie outbreak leaves them sheltered in perhaps the most secure and safe hideout, away from the zombies.

Dead Set has only one season with five episodes. Ahmed portrays Riq Rahman, one of the boyfriends of a contestant, who tries to survive the zombie outbreak. He appeared in all five episodes, as he has one of the main storylines in the series.

6 Sound Of Metal (2020) – 7.8

Without a doubt, Sound of Metal is one of Ahmed’s best projects to date. Ahmed portrays a musician who suddenly loses his hearing. With his musical career on the line, he takes every measure to adapt, including joining a shelter for people with hearing loss and learning how to sign language. In preparation for his role, Ahmed learned sign language and studied drums for about seven months.

Of course, Ahmed naturally embodied Ruben and gives an emotional and remarkable performance. He received universal acclaim from critics, earning him several nominations and wins for Best Actor. As mentioned, he received his first Oscar nomination for this role – a milestone for Muslim actors. Therefore, his latest and critically acclaimed film is one of his career highlights.

5 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – 7.8

A young woman named Jyn Erso searches for her father, who she was separated from since childhood. As the Death Star has the weapon to wipe out planets, Jyn’s father also holds the key that destroys it for good. With some help from some spies and the Rebel Alliance, Jyn leads the way to retrieve the plans to destroy the Death Star and give the universe a chance to stop the empire.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a prequel to 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope. Ahmed portrays Bodhi Rook, who is a former Imperial pilot. The audience praised the film for its unique and different approach as a Star Wars film. Furthermore, its story is crucial to explaining and setting up the events in A New Hope. The movie also received praise for its tone, visuals, musical score, and action sequences, including the incredible hallway scene between Darth Vader and the Rebel Alliance. Ahmed received an Empire Award nomination for Best Male Newcomer as Bodhi Rook.

4 Britz (2007) – 7.9

Early in his career, Ahmed featured in a two-part series, Britz. It focuses on two siblings who follow different ideologies after the 9/11 attack. Each episode highlights the different perspectives of each Muslim sibling and their fight for their cause. Ahmed portrays the siblings who joins MI5.

It is one of many roles where Ahmed plays a Muslim character. The series focuses on his character’s perspective as someone trying to defend his birth country and stop terrorism. It also sheds light on a different representation of Muslims, not typically depicted in many films or TV shows.

3 The OA (2016 – 2019) – 7.9

This Netflix supernatural series follows a young woman named Prairie Johnson. She was initially missing for seven years until she miraculously returned. She has also regained her sight and has decided to call herself “The OA.” However, her sudden reappearance leaves some people worried that she could be dangerous.

The OA lasted for two seasons before being canceled by Netflix in 2019. Nevertheless, the series was popular with viewers due to its outstanding visuals and complex story. Ahmed had a guest role in the series as an FBI trauma counselor, Elias Rahim. He appeared in four episodes.

2 Nightcrawler (2014) – 7.9

In this thriller, a petty thief ventures into a new career as a cameraman, capturing footage of crimes throughout the night. After a first successful stint regarding a carjacking crime scene, he slowly makes a living as a stringer and is encouraged by a news director to find even more breaking and shocking crime footage.

Directed by Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler was one of the best movies of its time due to its dark tone, brilliant screenplay, and chilling performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. Ahmed portrays Rick, the assistant to Gyllenhaal’s character, and although he plays a supporting character, it was his breakout role.

1 The Night Of (2016) – 8.5

A Pakistani-American college student, Nazir “Naz” Khan is arrested and charged for a murder of a young woman after a one-night stand. Unfortunately, much of the reason why he ends up in this position is due to some bad decisions surrounding the murder scene. As he tries to prove his innocence and awaits his trial, he remains in custody at Rikers Island. Now, he must adapt and survive as he tries to prepare for the worst.

The Night Of received critical acclaim for its mysterious crime drama story. It is an eight-part miniseries that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats. Ahmed gives quite a captivating, emotional, and raw performance as Naz Khan. His jaw-dropping performance earned Ahmed his first Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series, becoming the first Muslim and Asian to do so. Therefore, it is no surprise that Ahmed’s breakthrough role is one of his best and highest-rated projects to date.

About The Author

Fariba Rezwan
(165 Articles Published)

Based in South Florida, Fariba Rezwan is a list writer for CBR and Screen Rant. Though working on her graduate degree at the University of Florida, her science education does not take away her love of movies and TV shows. She is a huge geek and considers herself a huge fan of many fandoms, including Star Wars, Marvel, Game of Thrones, Supernatural, and many more. Expect to see her watch movies on the first day they come out. While she will watch any film, she especially likes superheroes, mysteries, sci-fi, and thrillers. However, since she is in her early 20s, she also takes the time to educate herself about cinema by watching classics and well-received films. While she aspires to become a physician one day, she also hopes to try out screenwriting during her spare time.

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