Miraculously manages to be not merely ferociously partisan, but dramatically compelling and a feast for the minds of moviegoers, not overly nourished these days.
Comment
02/20/07
Bamako (2006)
85
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:53
Fresh:45
Rotten:8
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: A courtroom drama and a portrait of everyday Mali life, Bamako approaches both subjects with equal skill and success.
Theatrical Release:Feb 14, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: The life of a troubled couple from a town in Mali is the focus of director Abderrahmnane Sissako’s BAMAKO. While the husband, Chaka, is out of work, Mele is barely scraping by as a singer in a... [More]
Starring: Danny Glover, Aissa Maiga, Tiecoura Traore, Maimouna Helene Diarra
Director: Abderrahmnane Sissako
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Reviews for Bamako
Trial movies can be painful, but Bamako is a powerful polemic leavened with moments of beauty and humor.
06/02/07
Top CriticRather than detract from the seriousness of the issues, Sissako’s light touch encourages a deeper level of engagement.
09/23/06
Overall, Bamako is a passionate plea, filled with interesting ideas and wrapped up in an uneven presentation.
05/31/07
Very important, very impressive.
10/28/06
That the G8's policies have been disastrous for Africa won't come as news to anyone who goes to see African art-house films.
02/26/07
Dramatic features born and bred on the African continent are rare commodities on these shores, and the opportunities they offer can stretch far beyond film appreciation and into the realm of world understanding.
06/22/07
Writer-director Abderrahmane Sissako is to be admired for not giving up on a film that features many African voices that do cry out to be heard.
05/26/06
Top CriticBorn of indignation, Bamako bears devastating witness to the iniquities of free trade and globalisation from a Malian perspective.
02/23/07
Distinctive, with commanding moments.
02/23/07
A gritty and gutsy examination of how African nations are suffering incredible hardships and poverty under the boots of Western globalization policies.
10/02/06
Yes, this is strong stuff, but spoken in an articulate, measured, passionate West African voice, it's impossible to ignore.
02/22/07
If Jean-Luc Godard had kept his sense of humor, he might be making engaging movies like Bamako.
06/28/07
Top CriticSissako's bolt of lightning is how he once again merges spaces: he sets the trial out-of-doors... editing the village's daily events as if they are all a part of the trial's fabric.
06/02/08
This sophisticated picture about a desperate situation expresses its optimism through its style and its respect for the people who appear in it.
02/26/07
After the resonant and lyrical experience of Sissako's criminally unseen Waiting for Happiness, which could have been an alternate title for Bamako, this new film represents a colossal downgrade.
09/26/06
Heavy on polemics, the drama nevertheless does not neglect the human story behind all the politicizing.
02/16/07
Much of the nearly two-hour film consists of impassioned but lengthy speeches about interest rates, deficits, poverty and corruption. This is no way to entertain an audience, so Sissako throws in a few hastily drawn characters and a threadbare plot.
02/14/07
Top CriticAwkward, dull film.
04/19/07
[An] intimate, urgent and wildly imaginative indictment of post-colonial economic policies in Africa.
06/14/07
Top CriticLatest News for Bamako
February 15, 2007:
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This week at the movies, we've got skulls ("Ghost Rider," starring Nicolas Cage), songwriters ("Music and Lyrics," starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore)... More...
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