Wednesday, August 1, 2012

The Dictator

LEAD CAST: Sacha Baron Cohen, Jason Mantzouka, Ben Kingsley, Anna Farris  DIRECTOR:  Larry Charles  SCREENWRITER:  Sacha Baron Cohenet al  PRODUCER:  Sacha Baron Cohen  et al  EDITOR:  Greg Hayden, Eric Kissack  GENRE: Comedy  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Laurence Sher  RUNNING TIME:   83 minutes  DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount Pictures  LOCATION:  USA

Technical:   3
Moral:   2
CINEMA Rating:  R 18 (For adults aged 18 and above)

Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a self-centered, childish bigot dictator of Wadiya, an oil-rich country somewhere in North Africa. He does not believe in any cause save for himself and has no problem executing people for any or no apparent reason. Unfortunately, there is nothing between his ears, so as expected, most of his decisions are sloppy and equally idiotic. In an attempt to thwart the United Nations Security Council intervention because of his refusal to sell oil to the world, Aladeen is forced to address the council in New York. That evening, Aladeen is kidnapped and is replaced by his treacherous uncle Tamir (Ben Kingsley) with a mentally-challenged decoy so he can manipulate the democratization of Wadiya for his personal gain. Aladeen escapes his kidnapper but not before his signature beard is shaved off making him unrecognizable. He chances upon Little Wadiya, a place where all the people he previously asked to be executed are thrown as refugees. There he teams up with his former chief of nuclear weapons program who agrees to help him stop Tamir’s plans so both of them can go back to their lives in Wadiya. In the process, Aladeen has to accept a job as a clerk in a store owned by a socio-environment activist named Zoey (Anna Faris). In between the planning of his comeback and trying to help Zoey imporove her business, Aladeen discovers new things and feelings that may change his way of life.
Sacha Baron Cohen constantly aims to be a comical satirist in the characters he portrays.  The Dictator has its charm plot-wise and could have offered fresh narrative only it is way too low-minded to go beyond a snicker with an eye brow raised. Like the other Cohen starrers, the movie blurs between documentary and feature which provides a comedic surrealism. The script, now professionally written, is between witty and insensitive. Although the narrative is tight and strong, the comedic sidelights at times border on absurdity. Of course, the acting ensemble is solid with Sir Ben Kingsley and the very lovely Anna Faris in the cast. No question about Cohen’s enigmatic performance no matter how sexist or vulgar he is on screen.  On the technical side, The Dictator fares well, andin parts even better than average.  The cinematography and editing works keep up with the “mockumentary” signature style of Cohen and director Larry Charles. Although one might miss the ambush interviews and interactions with real famous people, the duo is somewhat able to make it work.  But this is a been-there-done-that technique that hasn’t really changed or improved much since Borat. Over-all, The Dictator is good but not great which classifies it into a movie you would not care to miss.
There is a very thin barrier between a witty satire and one that is plain offensive.  At times, the line is so blurred that the scenes do get the audience laughing yet feeling foolish and guilty. The Dictator delivers its jokes head on but the jokes are cruel and would definitely upset a lot of sensitivities.  Does it have a redeeming value at the end?  Not really because even if Aladeen gave in to love and tried to reform Wadiya, you can still see how certain habits and damaging philosophies would remain.  Masking them as comedy is even more tragic because impressionable audiences might not always be able to distinguish a joke from an insult.