Given the recent trend for teasers-for-trailers (as evidenced by today’s Total Recall snippet), we’d almost suspect Sacha Baron Cohen of releasing multiple two-second teasers for The Dictator’s promos as a spoof on the practice. But no! He and the movie’s marketing team have stuck to a much more traditional approach, with the third look at The Dictator now up online.

Though it starts almost identically to the second trailer – with news footage of world leaders condemning tyrants – and features some things we’ve seen before (the race, Cohen’s General Aladeen heading to America), this latest promo soon showcases some new material and, if you don’t want any plot twists given away, you’re probably better off not watching it and not reading further into this story. What follows is not a massive spoiler, since most of the story was given away in early synopses for the film, but we wanted to give you the option.

Still with us? OK… We’re finally shown something of Aladeen’s misadventures in the US, where the government kidnaps him, shaves his woolly beard and dumps him in the streets of New York. Along the way, he attempts to get to the UN (where he’d been told he was giving a speech) and meets Anna Faris’ health food store manager.

The gags come thick and fast (a highlight is how he disposes of the store’s rubbish) but this is definitely a different, and much more scripted film than the awkward encounter comedy of Borat and Bruno.

With Ben Kingsley, John C Reilly, JB Smoove and Aasif Mandvi also among the cast, The Dictator will invade our cinemas on May 18.