After establishing himself as a satirical force with Da Ali G Show, Sacha Baron Cohen took his style of free-form, guerrilla comedy to the big screen with the brilliant Borat, a film that turned him into something of a cultural icon. The film was sharp, topical, and unpredictable in a way many spoofs simply can't replicate. Keeping up that level of success proved to be harder than many thought, as Cohen followed it up with the terribly unfunny supermodel film, Bruno, that seemed to stumble in every way that Borat got right. The Dictator, while marketed as being a sort of spiritual and creative cousin to Borat, is a total departure for Cohen, as it relies heavily on traditional Hollywood storytelling and jettisons the unscripted stuff we've become so accustomed to. The change hasn't effected Cohen in the least, as The Dictator is just as incendiary and depraved as we all hoped it would be.
That's not to say the film has the insight of Borat, but it does show Cohen's deft ability to bring pointed, serious issues to light while hiding them under a thin veil of gross out gags, penis humor, and stunning political incorrectness. The firebrand of a closing monologue is a thing of genius, even if the message he's sending is an obvious and disturbing one. But that's getting ahead just a little bit, because there are an incredible amount of laughs to be had before reaching that point. Cohen plays General Aladeen, a hilarious Saddam Hussein knock-off who runs the north African nation of Wadiya with an iron fist. Born into power and demanding of his people's support, he's both vengeful and extremely petty, powered by years of privilege. He has the money to do basically anything he wants, like nail some of the hottest women in Hollywood. You either worship him as the leader or....well, the other option is pretty nasty. When the UN comes calling with claims of Wadiya fostering a nuclear program, Aladeen jets to New York with his security detail to try and head off any possible sanctions. When he arrives, he's naturally floored that our country is as free as it appears, while also noting some of the obvious hypocrisies. Not long after arriving, he's betrayed by his elder brother(Sir Ben Kingsley), who has him kidnapped and replaced by a moronic body double who will sign a UN agreement making Wadiya a true democracy. Why? So that Big Oil execs, all named after their corporate masters, can swoop in and buy up the oil fields for a hefty sum.
Presumed dead and shaved of his beard, the symbol of his rightful power, Aladeen is forced to try and acclimate to American culture while finding a way to stop the signing. The dictatorship must be protected at all costs! He becomes reluctant friends with a political activist named Zoey(Anna Faris), a vegan and a woman (*gasp*) who takes him in and gives him a job, even as he insults and demeans her right to her face. In fact, jokes about the perceived inferiority and unworthiness of females are probably the most prevalent of all in this film, although no group is spared Cohen's wrath. For once, we're treated to a spirited comedy that hasn't had all of the best gags ruined by trailers, which is a remarkable feat considering all that we've seen of the movie. Smartly, Cohen has chosen to use his gift for creating spontaneous controversy as a means of hyping the film, such as turning up at the Academy Awards as Aladeen, then promptly spilling ashes all over Ryan Seacrest. Cohen is a master at eliciting uncomfortable laughter from situations we know are just plain wrong! When Aladeen and his reluctant compatriot, a scientist named Nadal(the perfectly cast Jason Mantzoukas), turn up at a funeral for an African-American man with hopes of stealing his epic beard, it's impossible not to hide your face at the racial firestorm that's about to be unleashed. No subject is taboo, and even the 9/11 tragedy is used to clever, comical effect. It's at times like this when Cohen is at his most dangerous, and it seems to sharpen his edge in a way. There's no doubt that many people are going to be turned off by this scene in particular, and it's hard to blame them. It's equally difficult not to respect Cohen's brazenness to go where nobody else would dare to. There are times when the film seems to stretch pretty hard to keep up the steady stream of gags, and it's at times like this when you wish Cohen would depart from the script and just go out and insult some ignorant bystander. Like most of Cohen's creations, Aladeen isn't a character you necessarily root for. He's more like somebody you love to hate. That said, he's as memorable and quotable as Borat was, and certainly less irritating than Bruno.
It helps that Cohen gets a ton of support from a fantastic supporting cast, another reason why this film succeeds where some of his improvised efforts haven't. Mantzoukas is brilliant as Aladeen's accomplice, Nadal, a scientist who the dictator thought he had executed. Nadal is just the right prism from which to view Aladeen's character, a guy who has loyalty to the system Aladeen represents, but also has a good deal of hatred for the man himself. He also knows the true nature of Aladeen's heart, and manipulates him at every turn. Anna Faris is basically relegated to being the focal point for Cohen's verbal jabs(he calls her a "lesbian hobbit"), and it takes some getting used to seeing her held back in such a way. A number of priceless celebrity cameos also swell the film's ranks, but they are also best left unspoiled. The most surprising scene stealer of all had to be MadTV's Bobby Lee as an ambassador who likes to exert his power in a very special kind of way. Again, something best left for you to discover yourself, but let's just say it involves some very interesting folks doing something unexpected.
As Cohen has branched off into more legitimate roles, such as co-starring in Martin Scorsese's Hugo, it's going to be interesting to see if it leads to a softening of his style. For now, The Dictator proves again that nobody is as outrageously offensive as Cohen, and we wouldn't have it any other way. "Jachnun"!!
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