The Pirates of Somalia

Name: The Pirates of Somalia
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: December 8, 2017
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 54
Cast: Aidan Whytock, Al Pacino, Barkhad Abdi, Coral Peña, Darron Meyer

2017

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Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Ratings

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6.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Ratings

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The Pirates Of Somalia

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Movie Details & Credits

Echo Bridge Entertainment | Release Date: December 8, 2017 | Not Rated

Starring: Aidan Whytock, Al Pacino, Barkhad Abdi, Coral Peña, Darron Meyer, Edward Gelbinovich, Evan Peters, Kiana Madani, Maria Vos, Melanie Griffith, mohamed Hakeemshady, Philip Ettinger, Robert Hobbs, Russell Posner

Summary: When rookie journalist Jay Bahadur (Evan Peters) has an inspiring chance encounter with his idol (Al Pacino), he uproots his life and moves to Somalia looking for the story of a lifetime. Hooking up with a local fixer (Barkhad Abdi), he attempts to embed himself with the local Somali pirates, only to find himself quickly in over his head.

Director: Bryan Buckley

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 116 min

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Critic Reviews

Jacob Oller

Dec 7, 2017

Even Bahadur’s stupid voiceover writing becomes funnier over time as we realize the clichés and groaners only serve to show what an ultimately lame writer Bahadur was—that it was his bravery, stubbornness, hope, inquisitiveness and stupidity that made him great. Read full review

The Film Stage John Fink

May 1, 2017

Dabka is a visceral, engaging, fast-paced journalism drama with authenticity and a few rough edges. Read full review

Nikki Baughan

Apr 28, 2017

This incendiary true story boasts a charismatic central performance from rising star Peters (X-Men, TV’s American Horror Story), whose everyman charm helps drive a narrative which has a tendency to get entangled in its own worthy intentions. Read full review

Dan Callahan

Apr 28, 2017

Dabka winningly traces the ways that a callow American gets schooled in concepts like honor and sacrifice until he is considered an expert on a country and a people that he grows to love. Read full review

John DeFore

Dec 9, 2017

This stranger-in-a-strange-land adventure has enough appeal to sustain its limited theatrical release. Read full review

Keith Watson

Dec 7, 2017

Writer-director Bryan Buckley's film is ultimately more interested in the journalist than his story. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Glenn Kenny

Dec 8, 2017

This is part of the movie’s problem. Aside from it being another how-I-made-out-in-an-“exotic”-locale narrative. The film means for us to delight in Jay’s flouting of conventions. Read full review

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User Reviews

CoKronakan

Jan 29, 2019

It was a very good movie that showed the struggle of Somalia's people intertwined with the struggle of a reporter. It shed light over the unseen and undocumented side of one of the poorest country and most controversial one. The actors did a very good job at delivering their charactersIt was a very good movie that showed the struggle of Somalia's people intertwined with the struggle of a reporter. It shed light over the unseen and undocumented side of one of the poorest country and most controversial one. The actors did a very good job at delivering their characters especially Evan Peters with the recreation of suspense and tension of a young reporter as Jay. The director's style and cinematography was very well set up from an unseen point of view, that being an experience from Jay. The writing was average at best but the plot turns and the realistic raw feeling of it made up for some certain plot points badly executed. The music was very good an mixed with Somalia's culture and made it more of an African vibe. The out of the box message was very fresh and original even though it was done after some real life example. Given the fact that this was a biography movie it was executed very good for one. But it might not have done as well as an action movie. The tension of some scenes was recreated very well and created a very good immersion for the viewer. Which also made it more entertaining to watch. Overall the conclusion was a very raw, realistic and humanitarian which also helped the movie overall. It was a very good movie which was a little under appreciated from most of the general audience.… Expand

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JLuis_001

Mar 30, 2018

Although the film did not leave a real impression on me because it is underdeveloped and never seems to take 100% seriously its theme, I'm quite surprised by the ability of Barkhad Abdi to continue making an impact on screen.

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