Sacha Baron Cohen he is certainly one of the most destructive figures on the world film scene. We all have in our minds that Kazakh journalist who is capable of embarrassing the entire American system. The Borat who, in his first appearance in 2006, split public opinion between critics of his disturbing and completely unconventional use of dark humor, and those who instead called him a genius for the same reasons.
Myself kidnapping Pamela Anderson to a Kazakh reporter in 2020 wasn’t enough Borate he returned to the big screen with an even more brutal sequel, in the midst of a pandemic, touching on extremely sensitive issues from a political and social point of view. And he did it in his usual way: by destroying any paradigm of society that existed before him.
But, despite everything, the satirical storm emanating from Borat (which spares neither women, nor children, nor the disabled, nor even his own Jewish religion), not everyone knows him other roles or the characters that allowed Sacha Baron Cohen to not suffer from the limitations of his only symbolic character. We’re also looking forward to his new role in the Marvel Universe.
Not just Borat, Cohen’s triad of characters
As for Borat, we have bad news for fans of the Kazakh character. But, fortunately, besides him, three more characters of Sacha Baron Cohen entered the story: aspiring gangsta rapper Ali G, African dictator Hafez Aladeen and fashion journalist Bruno.
Ali G2002 – Sacha Baron Cohen’s first cinematic experiment. The intention to play with stereotypes is obvious from the very beginning. Ali G is actually a caricature of a typical An American street rapper, the only difference is that instead of singing, he interviews great, uninformed personalities from the fields of entertainment, sports and, above all, politics. Thus, from the first film, Sacha Baron Cohen introduces his favorite format – interviews, and also, above all, the basis mockumentary Borat.
Among the completely uninformed interlocutors are famous names, ranging from astronaut Buzz Aldrin to basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, who passed through the Beckhams and Donald Trump.
In order of popularity of the characters created by Sacha Baron Cohen, immediately after Borat is the famous military dictator of the fictional state of Wadia Hafez Aladeen.
With this character inspired by the figures of Gaddafi and Saddam HusseinSacha Baron Cohen satirizes countless international political figures, ranging from allegiance to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il (whose fake ashes were thrown by Cohen at host Ryan Seacrest on Oscar night) to the Arab generals of the spring. and obviously we couldn’t miss it with then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi intending to have a night of love with Megan Fox.
Another journalistic figure after Ali G and Borat, Bruno is an Austrian fashion journalist. All film is polarizedBruno’s homosexuality which is the real discriminator of the reactions of the people surveyed. Many people react violently to the news about his homosexuality, but this does not distract the journalist from his only goal: to become famous. To do this, he will try different methods: from pornography with politicians to kidnapping by terrorists, through mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to the adoption of a black child named Mike Tyson.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s dramatic turn
Although his career was dotted mostly with satirical roles (which also earned him two Golden Globes for best actor in both films). Borate), Sacha Baron Cohen is a versatile actor, and he proved it Trial of the Chicago 7 both in the series Spy.
In the first, Cohen doesn’t deviate too much from his typical character, but still gives a dramatic version of it that earns him a 2020 Oscar nomination. His character, Abbie Hoffman, is an anti-Vietnam War activist, and in his character he’s there completely contempt of authority and consequently several convictions for contempt of court.
For Spy instead, although the topic hits close to home and Cohen has treated it in a self-satirical manner in the past, his interpretation is more unique than rare. Whether because of the need for discretion imposed by the character (he is a Mossad spy who has infiltrated the Syrian government), Cohen shows himself to be cold and calculating.
Where else have we seen this before?
Even those who, when talking about Cohen, go beyond just genius. Boratethey make the list for better or worse Dictator, Spy or anyone else mentioned above. Many miss out on other roles in films that have become instant cult classics and are associated with great directors. For example, collaborations with Martin Scorsese (soon in cinemas with Killers of the Flower Moon) V Hugo Cabret and with Tim Burton in Sleepy Hollow they are by far the most relevant.
But we must not forget about Sacha Baron Cohen’s performance in the musical. Les Miserablesalong with Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, as well as his collaborations with Adam McKay (author of, among others, Ricky Bobby – The Story of the Man Who Could Count to One and the second chapter of the saga of leading.