In The Dictator Sacha Baron Cohen applies his fastidious art of parody to inflexible political figureheads like Colonel Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein with the title character General Aladeen. Below you can watch the film’s opening scene, a news reel style introduction to the central character, and while he seems a lot like a more-extreme version of Borat, there’s a couple of nice moments (particularly the confusing HIV diagnosis). Plus there’s a baby with a giant fake beard on – which is always gold right?

The movie is due out on 16 May and features supporting performances by Megan Fox, Anna Faris, John C. Reilly, and Sir Ben Kingsley. So far I’m not convinced that The Dictator will be Cohen’s next great satire, but perhaps the studio, Paramount, is just saving the best gags for the theatres? Take a look and see what you think…

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