The Dictator

Synopsis: Leave your morals, bring your sense of humour. Sacha Baron is back!

Review: The Dictator is another instalment from the well known playbook of the ever popular satirical piss-taker Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali-G, Borat, Bruno). For those living under a rock his exploits typically involve the creation of a stereotyped alter-ego followed by the incessant pursuit of offending as many people as possible. The Dictator is no different here as Cohen plays the egotistical, tyrannical Admiral General (yes that’s his self appointed title) Aladeen, autocratic leader of the oil-rich African nation of “Wadiya”. From the start of the film (which opens with a dedication to the late Kim Jong Il) the similarities drawn to some of the worlds most infamous heads of state, although sardonic, are accurate and belligerently funny. The plot follows Aladeen as he travels to the UN to address the Security Council in an effort to defend his right to despotic rule and refusal to allow his country to democratically elect their leader. Aladeen is undermined and ousted by his right hand man and ends up working for the left wing, vegetarian, body hair cultivating Zoey (Anna Faris). Needless to say the one-liners come thick and fast, primarily at the expense of the conservative Islamic outlook on the world, although Cohen subtly (who are we kidding, most of it is overt) digs at the post 911/GFC muddied ethical waters of Western Democratic Capitalism. After his previous miscarriage-of-a-film “Bruno” my hopes for this one weren’t high, which left me pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed The Dictator. Yeah, the jokes are at someone’s (arguably everyone’s) expense, and are far too on point in some places to be acceptable, but this didn’t stop me (nor should it you) from bringing along my obnoxious cinema laugh and chuckling up a storm. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who offends easily, or turns their nose up at toilet humour, but if you want a good laugh and are well versed on your international politics and economics you’ll certainly find this one enjoyable. Cohen’s credibility is certainly restored with this addition to his filmography and I can’t wait to see what he turns his sights on next.

Score: 3/5