The Pirates of Somalia (2017)

The Pirates of Somalia: Directed by Bryan Buckley. With Evan Peters, Al Pacino, Melanie Griffith, Barkhad Abdi. In 2008, rookie journalist Jay Bahadur forms a half-baked plan to embed himself with the pirates of Somalia. He ultimately succeeds in providing the first close-up look into who these men are, how they live, and the forces that drive them.

“The title u0026quot;The Pirates of Somaliau0026quot; + u0026#39;too old for actionu0026#39; Pacino set up in my mind a film completely different from what transpired. And so did the u0026#39;toneu0026#39; of the first 20 or 30 minutes. The unprepossessing lead actor and the u0026#39;near-goofy brou0026#39; tone almost had me leave early but, if you go in, have patience. This well made true life tale of an idealist who takes a way-over-his-head risky chance in the hope of establishing himself as a journalist keeps adding weight as goes. The director mixes in a little magical-realism while presenting background to the Somali situation that I had never heard or read of before.nPlus, it happens to be funny quite often.nEnough license taken to make it a tense grand adventure.nOur favorite Somali actor, Barkhad Abdi, once again, does a great job.”