Sacha Baron Cohen: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

...And 5 That Sucked

5. Inspector Gustave Dasté - Hugo (2011)

Based on the exceptionally popular children€™s book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Martin Scorsese€™s 2011 adaptation focuses on an orphaned young boy who fixes clocks in a railway station under the supervision of an alcoholic uncle played by Ray Winstone. So far, so Dickensian. When his grog swilling guardian vanishes, Hugo continues to repair timepieces as normal in fear of being sent to an orphanage by the villainous Station Inspector Gustave. This moustache twirling gendarme is portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen in a performance that is neither entertaining, nor intimidating. Delivering the majority of his lines as if he€™s reading them as he goes, there is a real sense that his heart isn€™t in it. His chosen accent is a strange blend of cockney and head-cold which becomes hard to understand when delivered at the machine gun pace opted for by Baron Cohen. Sadly, not even his usual mastery of physical comedy pans out. During a chase through the station every trip and fall is so stilted and awkward that you wonder if they just settled for the first take. At least the film€™s striking visuals are able to distract you from one of the least interesting villains ever put to film.