I loved this movie, which was very unexpected. It was a wonderful story and was honestly portrayed. I liked that so many Somalians were employed as actors and actresses. It was so funny in parts. Even if it turns out not to be your favorite movie of the year, you will still learn something and be better informed about Somalia and it's people. This movie is humorous, subtle, informative, insightful, characterful and best of all, hopeful .... Watch it!

It was fun, exciting and actually fast paced. I don't know what was one of the comments saying. Great movie

There is a revealing moment in "The Pirates of Somalia" when the Canadian journalist Jay Bahadur has a conversation with Maryan, one of numerous wives of a Somali pirate. When asked to describe Jay's clothes, Maryan says that they are "bland." That word is the touchstone for this long and drawn-out film about journalistic integrity.While residing in the basement of his parents' home, the struggling journalist Bahadur keeps on his wall a poster of the film "All the President's Men," as Woodward and (especially) Berstein are his idols. Jay also links up with the old-style journalist Seymour Tolbin, who is played with his characteristic gusto by Al Pacino in a cameo performance. The beleaguered Bahadur travels to Somalia at his own expense to conduct a freelance study of Somali pirates in the year 2008. Most of the film is comprised of lengthy interviews conducted with manic energy by Bahadur, his body guard, and his translator, all of whom get high on "khat" for the interviews. Long cartoon "fantasy" or "dream" segments interrupt the action, as the filmmakers needlessly extend the film's action. Meeting Maryan is a breath of fresh air for both Bahadur and the audience of this film.The film opened with a reference to the firebrand speaker Mario Savio and his "Operation of the Machine" speech in the 1950s at the University of California, Berkeley, that argued for the individual striving to avoid becoming a cog in the corporate machine of America. "The Pirates of Somalia" has a pretentious manner in trying to depict the power of words of a dedicated journalist that transformed American diplomatic policy towards Somalia. The dreaded word of Bahadur was the use of "unfortunately" in the rejection letters he received from publishers. But this film failed to deliver on the feel-good message about a modern Citizen Kane . Unfortunately, there is no Rosebud to this bland story.

This type of docufilm is not my cup of tea as I'm more into the action/tension type films, but I still found it entertaining, informative and a well put together production with great casting, directing, writing and cinematography. Although the pace was too slow for me, still a great watch and thus a 8/10 from me.