Review: The Dictator Friday, June 08, 2012 By Richard Galvez - Shane Africa Advertising Sacha Baron Cohen, famous “Ali G Indahouse” and “Borat,” is back in his newest ‘mockumentary,’ “The Dictator.” As in his previous major films, Cohen showcases the life of one of his stereotypical fictional characters in a documentary-style manner (hence the term “MOCK-U-mentary”). “The Dictator” features an eccentric and immature dictator, Admiral General Aladeen (Cohen), from a fictional country called the Republic of Wadiya, who wants nuclear weapons to flaunt his power and protect his country from democracy, which the United Nations wants for the Republic of Wadiya. After heading to New York City to address the council, he is abducted by a hitman, Clayton (John C. Reily), hired by Aladeen’s uncle, Tamir (Ben Kingsley), and switched with an easily manipulated political decoy. Clayton shaves Aladeen’s beard off so he can’t be recognized. During Aladeen’s time in New York, he comes across a protest that is ironically against Aladeen’s decision to get rid of democracy and meets Zoey (Anna Farris), a political activist, who gives him a place to work and stay. Aladeen soon encounters Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas), one of his nuclear scientists who was thought to have been executed, who befriends Aladeen and helps him get back into power and stop the signing of the document to have democracy in The Republic of Wadiya. Overall, the film is hilarious and exciting, but stereotypical. One instance of it being stereotypical but pretty funny is when Aladeen and Nadal are seated in a helicopter and are discussing random things in their language, when they are seated across a white husband and wife who believe, though not at first, they are plotting a terrorist attack. The stereotypes in the movie will be funny to some, but offensive to others, so it’s best to not take the film seriously.

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