SYNOPSIS: Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) has it all when it comes to ruling the nation of Wadiya. Amongst the things he does includes sleeping with various celebrities and having people executed when they get in his way. But the Dictator is challenged by the United Nations to come to New York to have showdown talks. He is warned that Wadiya will be attacked if he doesn’t sign a treaty which would allow democracy in his country. During the stay, his right hand man Tamir (Ben Kingsley) hires a guard to kidnap Aladeen but he manages to escape. He finds himself wandering the streets of New York without his beard and realises that Tamir is using a stand-in to sign the democracy treaty. Aladeen must try and stop the signing from happening but has to make his way in New York first by getting a job working for friendly organic shop owner Zoey (Anna Faris).

As we’ve come to expect from Sacha Baron Cohen’s previous efforts, The Dictator is as shocking as it is laugh-out-loud. He shies away from the mockumentary style which he has became known for with Ali G, Borat and Bruno and instead opts for a more straight-forward narrative. The plots are starting to become a trend with his politically-incorrect characters traveling to America and experiencing the culture-clash but we can’t help but laugh at some of his encounters with the yanks.

The controversial moments are still there and at times make you wonder how Cohen gets away with it. One example of that includes an early scene where Aladeen plays an offensive version of Wii-Sports that allows you to tackle levels like the London Bombings or the Munich Assassinations. But the other offensive scenes are played for laughs such as Aladeen’s ride on a helicopter which sees him and his friend speaking in Arabic (mentioning the words Bin Laden and 911) in front of a scared couple who believe them to be terrorists. As an actor, Cohen continues to enjoy creating hilarity through his latest character who has the typical dark sense of humour we’ve come to expect from him during his four main feature films.

When it’s not all about the grotesque moments, its when Aladeen hurls insults at his love interest Zoey which becomes the most memorable aspect of their onscreen chemistry. It’s not often you hear someone refer to their lover as Justin Bieber’s chubby brother! But while Aladeen may lack the decency of a normal human being (especially when he’s supposed to be based on General Gaddafi and Bin Laden), he does show heart when it comes to the problem with politics. Toward the end of the film, he delivers a key speech to the UN (and America) on the importance of a dictatorship which sees Cohen poke fun at the many mistakes the USA have made as a democracy. Unsurprisingly this has led to comparisons with Charlie Chaplin’s general in The Great Dictator which is ironic given some people’s views that Cohen is almost up there with Chaplin as the best when it comes to satirical film.

However it should be pointed out that there are dark jokes that can be funny to some but when they go a bit too deep (a pun for the scene I’m about to mention), it can be off-putting. A sequence where Aladeen is forced to assist a woman who is going into labour is revolting and not something you’d want to watch in the film particularly when that scene is supposed to bond our ‘hero’ with his love interest Zoey but it’s more awkward than touching.

Speaking of female misconduct we also get a scene with Aladeen’s double milking a woman’s breasts. Nice. Anna Faris fails to give many laughs as Zoey and instead allows herself to be insulted by Aladeen during the film’s romantic sub-plot while Ben Kingsley and John C. Reilly are reduced to limited roles (especially the latter). The only supporting actor really worthy of attention is Fessal from Four Lions appearing as Aladeen’s dopey servant in what is otherwise Cohen’s show.

VERDICT: Sacha Baron Cohen continues to set standards as a comical genius with his latest film which pushes the limit too far at times and doesn’t quite reach the heights of Borat. But no matter how appalled you’ll be, you will laugh!