Sasha Baron Cohen strikes a pose in The Dictator. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The shock and awe of Sacha Baron Cohen hit the world in 2006 with his infamous portrayal of Borat, the inept Kazakh enduring Western culture. He made us laugh with his outlandish actions and now he’s at it again with his new survey into Middle Eastern cultural norms.
The Dictator takes us into the life of the ruler of the fictitious country of Wadiya, and his attempts to keep his tyrannical rule over his people. His journey is thrown into disarray when he is forced to live as an average peasant among the people of the United States.
To sum it all up, a moron who has power thrust upon him from birth, brings his absurd beliefs to Western civilization giving himself and those around him an unsympathetic culture shock.
There are few people who could conceive of these ideas and even fewer who can make them work. Sacha Baron Cohen is one of them. He has makes a bold statement in this movie that can only be seen as a social commentary.
His character, General Aladeen, is portrayed almost perfectly by Cohen. His accent was sometimes inconsistent (being nitpicky here) when compared to his performance as Borat. Regardless, his antics are hilarious and he keeps the laughter amongst the audience consistent.
With his incredible character acting, we are really looking forward to Cohen’s future portrayal of entertainment legend, Freddie Mercury.
For those who were disappointed with his last effort in Brüno, you’ll enjoy the political commentary as well as the craziness this almost lovable political maniac delivers.
Bottom Line: There’s a deeper message hidden amongst the humor. It will make you laugh, but also make you think about what we have as a society and how much further we still have to go.
Grade B
Runtime: 82 minutes
IMAX: No
3D: No
