The Dictator

"Make way for Aladeen."

2012 1h 23m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 6,666

Comedy

Synopsis

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The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.

“Make way for Aladeen.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Sacha Baron Cohen
Aladeen / Efawadh
Ben Kingsley
Tamir
Anna Faris
Zoey
Jason Mantzoukas
Nadal
Sayed Badreya
Omar
Adeel Akhtar
Maroush
Aasif Mandvi
Doctor
Rizwan Manji
Patient

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Larry Charles
Writers: J. Todd Anderson, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Berg
Languages: English, Hebrew
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $65M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hebrew.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

342+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Larry Charles, shot by Lawrence Sher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Erran Baron Cohen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Eric Kissack shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Larry Charles directs. Lawrence Sher behind the camera. Erran Baron Cohen scores. Eric Kissack cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Hebrew.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Mid-budget at $65M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
3Released 14 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hebrew.
5342+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Larry Charles, shot by Lawrence Sher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Erran Baron Cohen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Eric Kissack shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley and Anna Faris carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Make way for Aladeen.".
11IMDB entry: tt1645170 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 16 themes, including "petrol", "culture clash", "dictator", "coup d'etat".
13Released under 13 different titles around the world.