Silly yet profound

General Aladeen is the stereotype of the Middle East dictator in the mold of Saddam Hussein, Gadaffi and dieversen sheikhs. He lives in self-indulgence, lets people executed for vanities and dreams of the development of the atomic bomb in order to attack Israel. The latter puts him in the crosshairs of the United States. His uncle Tamir (Ben Kingsley!) Organized for him a speech to the United Nations, where he is to appease all. In reality, however, this is just a coup. Tamir will even sell out to the power and mineral resources of the country. Aladeen is disposed of in New York and replaced by a lookalike. The murder of him fails (grotesquely), only his beard must believe. Without money and identity he tries to regain his old position.

Cohen plays the dictator as a kind young Charles Addams, the wicked one, but in a light-hearted manner, without awareness of what was so bad about oppression, executions, etc. But its victims are not really resentful, has the whole a little comic style. What is not meant negatively, but it's good to know what to expect,

The film has a number of gags, not every shot is a hit. As far as my rating, it does so, however, by its viciousness and truthfulness betting. In particular, the speech to the Americans at the end is something that has the makings of a cult vielzitiertem text.