"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." - Ed Gonzalez

Should have been a documentary. A lot of the film is just a slightly more cinematic equivalent of talking heads and the film can feel one-sided and even at times dictatorial - why not let the IMF or World Bank speak their case? The stuff away from the trial is more interesting - the husband/wife plot strand is somewhat powerful, though could do with being developed more, the cinematography is good as is the sense of humour. I could do without the five minute long psuedo-spaghetti western though.

Why this was made into a film is beyond me, its basically a documentary, but instead of talking heads we have fictional characters, diminishing the credibility of what their saying, and making for a boring film. Might be of some interest for those that know nothing of Africa/World Bank/IMF.