The Dictator | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Larry Charles |
Produced by |
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Written by |
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Starring | |
Music by | Erran Baron Cohen |
Cinematography | Lawrence Sher |
Edited by |
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Production
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Four By Two Films
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Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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83 minutes |
Country |
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Language | English, Hebrew |
Budget | $65 million |
Box office | $179.4 million |
The Dictator is a 2012 British-American political satire black comedy film co-written by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen as his fourth feature film in a leading role. The film is directed by Larry Charles, who previously directed Baron Cohen's mockumentaries Borat and Brüno. Baron Cohen, in the role of Admiral General Aladeen, the dictator of the fictional Republic of Wadiya visiting the United States, stars alongside Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Jason Mantzoukas, and an uncredited appearance by John C. Reilly.
Producers Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel said that Baron Cohen's character was inspired by dictators Kim Jong-il, Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi, Mobutu Sese Seko and Saparmurat Niyazov. The film's opening credits dedicate it to Kim Jong-il, "in loving memory".
For years, the Republic of Wadiya has been ruled by Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen), a childish, tyrannical, sexist, anti-western, and antisemitic despot who surrounds himself with female bodyguards, sponsors al-Qaeda (specially giving shelter to Osama Bin Laden after "they killed his double one year ago") and is working on developing nuclear weapons to attack Israel. He also refused to sell Wadiya's oil fields, a promise he made to his father on his deathbed. After the United Nations Security Council resolves to intervene militarily, Aladeen travels to the UN Headquarters in New York to address the council.