The Dictator
Sign in to save2012 film by Larry Charles
Film · TMDB
6.2The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
Released: 2012-05-1583 minDir: Larry CharlesComedy
Cast
- Sacha Baron Cohen as Aladeen / Efawadh
- Ben Kingsley as Tamir
- Anna Faris as Zoey
- Jason Mantzoukas as Nadal
- Sayed Badreya as Omar
- Adeel Akhtar as Maroush
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Key facts
- Directed by
- Larry Charles
- Written by
- Sacha Baron Cohen Alec Berg David Mandel Jeff Schaffer
- Produced by
- Sacha Baron Cohen Alec Berg Anthony Hines David Mandel Scott Rudin Jeff Schaffer Todd Schulman
- Starring
- Sacha Baron Cohen Anna Faris Ben Kingsley
- Cinematography
- Lawrence Sher
- Edited by
- Greg Hayden Eric Kissack
- Music by
- Erran Baron Cohen
- Production companies
- Four By Two Films Berg Mandel Schaffer Scott Rudin Productions
- Distributed by
- Paramount Pictures
- Release date
- May 16, 2012 ( 2012-05-16 )
- Running time
- 83 minutes
- Countries
- United Kingdom United States
Key dates
- Published
- 17 May 2012
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- film
- Genre
- comedy film
- Country of origin
- United States
- Original language
- English language
- Director
- Larry Charles
- Screenwriter
- Jeff Schaffer
- Cast member
- Jon Glaser
- Composer
- Erran Baron Cohen
- Producer
- David Mandel
- Cinematographer
- Lawrence Sher
Article
The Dictator is a 2012 political satire black comedy film directed by Larry Charles and written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer. 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 and Ben Kingsley.
Producers Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel said that Baron Cohen's character was inspired by real-life dictators with personality cults, such as Kim Jong Il of North Korea, Idi Amin of Uganda, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Bokassa I of the Central African Empire, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, and Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan. Despite the Republic of Wadiya being located in real-life Eritrea, its own dictator, Isaias Afwerki, was not referenced as inspiration. The film's opening credits sarcastically dedicate it "in loving memory" to Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011.