Product Details

• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: August 21, 2012
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (346 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B008R9N7CO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,007 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Dictator wants to inspire outrage and hilarity in equal measures. Sacha Baron Cohen rose to fame through Borat, a sort of Candid Camera movie that let real people reveal their prejudices in response to an outrageously conceived character. Here, Cohen acts in a scripted story about an equally outrageous character, a brutal dictator named Aladeen, ruler of the fictional North African country of Wadiya. While in New York to protest United Nations sanctions against him, Aladeen is kidnapped by a scheming underling (Ben Kingsley) and stripped of his beard, rendering him unrecognizable. A vegan co-op manager (Anna Faris, pretty unrecognizable herself in a black wig) takes him under her wing, leading to a change of heart… sort of. Cohen's lowbrow humor is oddly intellectual. He's a student of comedy, analyzing the current boundaries so he can push at them, seeking something that will still shock. The result? Jokes about rape--lots and lots of jokes about rape--along with an anthology of gags about body functions and racism. The effect is more calculated than comical. Cohen's deeply cynical perspective suggests that, in a world where everyone has a price (one of the movie's running themes), the audience will cheer on a murdering megalomaniac because at least his narcissism is pure. But The Dictator seems like a movie only a murdering megalomaniac could really love. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

BANNED & UNRATED -What You Couldn't See In Theaters!

The creators and star of Borat bring you the jaw-dropping comedy about what happens when the worldʼs worst dictator comes to America. Stuck in New York and stripped of his power, Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) is finally forced to live his ultimate nightmare…the American dream. Get ready to laugh ʻtil it hurts with the uncensored cut, featuring never-before-seen footage, thatʼs “outrageous and shamefully funny!”*

* Rafer Guzman, NEWSDAY

Includes Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy, and UltraViolet

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 67 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Are you having a boy or an abortion?" May 18, 2012

By Matthew G. Sherwin HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Sacha Baron Cohen does a great acting job in his latest film, "The Dictator." The gags are mostly good and although some are tacky and racist (with a few being crude) it still held my attention on a very rough day for me because it works as a parody of dictatorships. There is little about the plot and the film that I can add to the reviews already posted here; but I can certainly vouch for other reviewers who write that the film is actually pretty good entertainment, a parody and nothing truly offensive even if Sacha Baron Cohen is very daring when it comes to topics for jokes and gags.

The plot is not terribly deep; but it moves along well and you shouldn't get bored. Sacha Baron Cohen (who plays the brutal dictator of the fictional, northern African country named Wadiya) surrounds himself with excellent actors all turning in convincing performances that make the film even funnier. Sir Ben Kingsley plays Tamir, the rightful heir to the dictatorship occupied by his apparently younger brother General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen). Anna Faris is brilliant as Zoey, a Brooklyn, New York vegan small business food store owner who's liberal activism clashes sharply with Aladeen's "take no prisoners" and kill-`em-all policy whenever anyone disagrees with him. Nadal, a scientist ordered to create nuclear weapons for Wadiya, is well played by Jason Mantzoukas; his timing is just right and he supports Baron Cohen really well.

Soon after the film starts with some gags and basic introductions, General Aladeen is practically summoned to the United Nations. They want his assurance that he isn't developing nuclear weapons--otherwise they may use military force against Wadiya. Aladeen travels to New York with Tamir and an extensive entourage--but soon after that he is kidnapped and nearly killed in a very funny scene with one of my favorite actors, John C. Reilly, playing the would-be murderer. Tamir hopes that with the real Aladeen out of the way he can use a phony "double" for Aladeen and use the double to make Wadiya a democracy so Tamir can sell its oil to countries around the world, most notably America and China.

But what Tamir doesn't know is that Aladeen escaped being killed and wants nothing more than to gain back total control of Wadiya. Just how Aladeen and Zoey get to know each other and how Aladeen tries to win back control of his country is how the rest of the film plays out, complete with gags and jokes about anything Baron Cohen wants to tackle, including 9/11, blacks, Jews, Asians and just about anything else you can imagine.

All in all, if you liked Sacha Baron Cohen's other films, I think you will like this one. It is better than "Bruno" and while it isn't quite as good as "Borat" it's definitely funny. It managed to divert my attention on a rather stressful day and that's actually saying a lot. In addition, if you're new to Sacha Baron Cohen's sense of humor and you're not that easily offended, you should enjoy this film.

38 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't listen to the negative feedback left by morons! September 7, 2012

By YourOtherForm

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'll make this short and sweet, and also mention this is not manipulative attempt to change your view, but in order to enjoy this movie, or anything by Sacha, you have to understand the psychology behind it, you can't be offended by anything, if you are there is personal issues you have to go inside of yourself and face, rather than ignoring them, and you have to have intelligence beyond what you learned in an educational institution. Furthermore, this movie is hilarious, don't listen to the reviews by morons who don't understand what the point of this mans work is, I literally could not go 2 minutes without laughing.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars When Being Offensive Isn't Enough! May 8, 2013

By Giordano Bruno

Format:DVD

When shouting the Big F in a weird accent isn't really funny. When race, sex, and sadism become simply hard work for the comic. When even pertinent political satire can't elicit more than a sickly smirk. When the outtakes really needed to taken out ... you have The Dictator - Banned and Unrated.

But the joke's on me for not heeding the comments of my twenty-something son's twenty-something friends. This! Is! a Total! Waste Of Time!