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.
