It didn't quite blow me away, but then again, I wasn't expecting it to. The Dictator follows Admiral General Aladeen, the President-for-Life of Wadiya (which is actually Eritrea). His trip to speak at the UN Assembly is thwarted by his closest adviser (Ben Kingsley). He ends up stranded in New York on a mission to assassinate his double and reclaim power. SPOILER ALERT! By the end, he's married to an organic food store owner and has allowed for the first 'democratic' elections in his country.
The whole thing reads exactly like the rise and fall of Mummer Qadaffi, but it doesn't make it too much more outrageous. It reminds me of the old adage "How do you improve on perfection?" And the vegan foods woman was the definite low point of the film. It started off fantastic, though, with a dedication to Kim-Jong-Il and a speech he gives about the Wadiyan Nuclear Weapons Program.
The finale was good, too: He gives a great speech paralleling America to a dictatorship, mentioning phony elections, waterboarding, wiretapping, propaganda, brainwashing, and a media that feeds on fear. You couldn't tell if he was describing Wadiya or the midwest.
It's not perfect, but it's a good way to blow time in between watching The Avengers and the other summer movies we've been promised: The Dark Knight Rises, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Men in Black III, and some lesser-known films that should be good. Final score: 6/10. To be clear: I definitely liked it, but it was a little too short, and some parts (where he seemed to have a heart) really dragged it down.
Bye!
(PS: The movie has been banned in Turkmenistan and Tajikistan)
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