9 Best Riz Ahmed Movies

By Vlad Zakh · December 29, 2025

Riz Ahmed built his career on characters caught between two identities and has turned that tension into some of the most tightly wound performances of the last decade. Sound of Metal rebuilds a drummer’s identity after hearing loss, Encounter pulls a former Marine’s sons into a cross-country run from a supposed alien threat, Venom casts him as a billionaire scientist, and The Long Goodbye confronts a British-Pakistani family with nationalist violence. Four Lions, Nightcrawler, Rogue One, Jason Bourne and The Sisters Brothers round out the list.

The Long Goodbye (2020)

TMDB ★ 7.5

Riz Ahmed stars in a short film following a British-Pakistani family confronting rising nationalist violence.

Directed by Aneil Karia · 0h 12m

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sound of Metal (2019)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A drummer's hearing loss told with real, unglamorous physical detail.

Directed by Darius Marder · 2h 01m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Encounter (2021)

TMDB ★ 6.2

Riz Ahmed plays a former Marine, convinced an alien threat is coming, who pulls his two young sons into a cross-country flight.

Directed by Michael Pearce · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Venom (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Riz Ahmed plays a billionaire scientist whose reckless experiments with alien symbiotes spiral catastrophically out of control.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer · 1h 52m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, fuboTV, YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.7

Riz Ahmed plays a gentle chemist on the run from two bounty-hunting brothers during the California Gold Rush.

Directed by Jacques Audiard · 2h 01m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent: Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Apple TV Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A ragtag rebel team steals the Death Star plans in the story right before A New Hope, with Forest Whitaker in the cast.

Directed by Gareth Edwards · 2h 13m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Jason Bourne (2016)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A CIA analyst's loyalties are tested as Bourne resurfaces after years off the grid, with Alicia Vikander in the cast.

Directed by Paul Greengrass · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, YouTube TV, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Nightcrawler (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 95% Metacritic 76

A sociopathic freelancer builds a career filming increasingly staged crime-scene footage.

Directed by Dan Gilroy · 1h 58m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar46 wins & 126 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Sundance Now, Netflix Standard with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Four Lions (2010)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A group of bumbling, deeply misguided British jihadists plan an attack that keeps derailing itself.

Directed by Chris Morris · 1h 37m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

9 Best Riz Ahmed Movies

The Long Goodbye (2020)

Sound of Metal (2019)

Encounter (2021)

Venom (2018)

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Jason Bourne (2016)

Nightcrawler (2014)

Four Lions (2010)

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