The Pirates of Somalia

This black comedy has twenty-something Canadian Jay Bahadur (Evan Peters) with dreams of becoming a journalist but no clear path towards reaching that goal. One day he hits upon the dubious idea of traveling to Somalia, a very dangerous country where no Western journalists will go out of fear, and writing a book about the coastal pirates. Once there, he learns about the local culture while also clumsily causing havoc. Featuring Barkhad Abdi as his friendly translator, Al Pacino as a journalistic mentor, and Melanie Griffith as Jay's mother. Also appearing are Coral Pena, Russell Posner, Kiana Madani, Maria Vos, and Philip Ettinger.

Peters is good in the lead, a goofball who makes up in courage what he lacks in common sense. Abdi, who played the lead Somali pirate in Captain Phillips, is also excellent as the cheerful local. Pacino and Griffith have little more than cameos. The film seems to be trying for a mix of Salvador and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with many of the dangerous situations offset by humor. It doesn't always work, and the movie could have been 20 minutes shorter, but it's still a somewhat interesting glimpse at a foreign culture.

This based-on-facts movie looks like it's going to be a trashy, violence-filled tale of mayhem, but it turns out to be something quite different, and much better.. It tells the story of Jay Bahadur (played by Evan Peters), a young Canadian who wanted to be a journalist. A chance meeting with a journalist whose writings he greatly admired (a fictitious composite played by Al Pacino) persuaded him that rather than going to journalism school, he should go somewhere dangerous and write about it. He went to Somalia, a country he had researched for a paper he had written in college, and found opportunities to interview the Somalian pirates, which no Westerner had ever done.

It's an exciting story, well told, well acted, and believable. The Somalians in particular are portrayed as three-dimensional characters rather than simply as savages (as they are often portrayed in the media). Yet brutality and ruthlessness are present in their everyday lives as well. Action, suspense, friendship, courage, humor, this movie has it all.

What it does not have, unfortunately, is captioning. Much of the dialogue is difficult to catch, especially the English spoken by the Somalians with their strong African accent. This is a rather serious flaw impairing the enjoyment of an otherwise excellent movie.

The title "The Pirates of Somalia" + 'too old for action' Pacino set up in my mind a film completely different from what transpired. And so did the 'tone' of the first 20 or 30 minutes. The unprepossessing lead actor and the 'near-goofy bro' 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. Plus, it happens to be funny quite often. Enough license taken to make it a tense grand adventure. Our favorite Somali actor, Barkhad Abdi, once again, does a great job.

I enjoyed Pirates of Somalia far more than I thought I would. Evan Peters is credible and very watchable. The supporting cast is strong enough to keep you interested in a well-told story. I wasn't as informed about the piracy situation in Somalia. I'd wager that bunches of Westerners aren't, either. However, this film does a great job of laying out the recent Somali history, while also telling a compelling "true" story. I'd recommended Pirates of Somalia, but only to someone who can handle a human drama with some political history, good characters, and touches of humor. This film is not for the blissfully uninformed. You'll learn something. And you'll like it, too.

What a pleasant surprise as I had no expectation of this film being as good as it is. Good storyline based on fact, well cast and good acting. Thoroughly recommend this one.