British actor Riz Ahmed is an Academy Award winner, but it still feels like he somehow goes under the radar. Perhaps because he’s not in many blockbusters (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Jason Bourne” aside). Still he’s built a quietly excellent career always working with interesting filmmakers and selecting quality projects. With his electrifying performance as the title role in “Hamlet” in theaters this week, check out the best of Ahmed’s career so far on streaming.

Many may have first seen Ahmed in the 2010 black comedy satire “Four Lions” by Chris Morris, written by Morris, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong (who later created “Succession”). The film follows a group of hapless homegrown terrorists in England who attempt to plan a jihadist attack in Sheffield. Built on years of research by Morris, this terrorism satire is a cutting comedic cultural commentary with a lot of humanity and truth at the core. Ahmed carries the film and it was a major breakout role for him. Stream it on Kanopy.

Post-“Four Lions,” Ahmed appeared in more American films, like Dan Gilroy’s unsettling media exploration “Nightcrawler,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a freelance tabloid news videographer in Los Angeles who lives by the credo “if it bleeds, it leads.” Ahmed plays his naive assistant who gets caught up in the world of chasing police blotter chatter and struggles with his boss' rapacious bloodlust and lack of moral compass. Stream “Nightcrawler” on Kanopy.

In 2016, Ahmed starred in “The Night Of,” an HBO miniseries based on the 2008 British series “Criminal Justice,” and adapted by Steve Zaillian and Richard Price. Ahmed plays a New York City cab driver accused of murdering a young woman who ends up in jail on Rikers Island. The supporting cast includes a host of legendary New York City character actors including John Turturro, Michael K. Williams, Bill Camp, Jeannie Berlin and many more, and Ahmed won an Emmy for his performance. Stream “The Night Of” on HBO Max.

In 2020, Ahmed starred in “Sound of Metal” directed by Darius Marder, as a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing and coming to terms with his deafness. The film co-stars Olivia Cooke and Paul Raci, and Ahmed won an Oscar at the ceremony held in 2021 for his performance. Stream “Sound of Metal” on Prime Video and Kanopy.

In 2025, Ahmed joined a Wes Anderson ensemble in the underrated Benicio del Toro vehicle “The Phoenician Scheme,” which is streaming on Prime Video. He also starred in the excellent David Mackenzie thriller “Relay” about a fixer who works with corporate whistleblowers through a phone relay service for the deaf. The film co-stars Lily James and Sam Worthington, and Ahmed is typically riveting as a mysterious man who moves through the world with different secretive systems in place in order to conceal his dangerous work. It’s a technologically complex “Michael Clayton.” Stream “Relay” on Netflix.

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