Verdict: Sacha Baron Cohen’s most accessible (and rewatchable) satire, made better by the unrated cut.
The Dictator (2012) is a satirical comedy directed by Larry Charles and starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen, the eccentric and tyrannical leader of the fictional Republic of Wadiya. The film follows Aladeen as he travels to New York City to address the United Nations regarding his country's nuclear program. However, he is betrayed by his uncle, stripped of his beard and identity, and forced to navigate the streets of New York as a regular person while trying to regain his power. The Dictator -2012- BluRay UNRATED
The Dictator is not for everyone. The UNRATED version, in particular, pushes every single boundary. It mocks terrorism, dictatorships, feminism, capitalism, anti-Semitism, and sterilization. It uses racial slurs that would get any other actor blacklisted. Sacha Baron Cohen plays a character who is, by design, a monster. The joke is on the dictator, not with him, but the UNRATED cut makes that distinction very difficult to see unless you are paying close attention. Review: The Dictator (2012) - BluRay UNRATED Verdict:
The UNRATED track features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. During the "Rocket Launcher" scene, the LFE (low-frequency effects) channel shakes the room. Streaming compression reduces the dynamic range, meaning the quiet, whispering threats from Aladeen are harder to hear, and the explosions are muddier. On BluRay, the contrast between a whispered "You vill die" and a sudden gunshot is jarring and hilarious. However, he is betrayed by his uncle, stripped