The Devil's Double

Welcome to another episode Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is The Devil's Double.

Directed by Lee Tamahori.

Written by Michael Thomas.

Based on the Book "The Devil's Double" written by Latif Yahia.

Review #132

MPAA Rating: R for creature violence, drug content and pervasive language.

Runtime: 88 min

Cast

Dominic Cooper ...Uday Hussein / Latif Yahia

Ludivine Sagnier ...Sarrab

Raad Rawi ...Munem

Philip Quast ...Saddam Hussein / Faoaz

Mimoun Oaïssa ...Ali

Khalid Laith ...Yassem Al-Helou

Dar Salim …Azzam

Nasser Memarzia ...Latif's Father

Jamie Harding ... Qusay

It's not news to anyone how radical an idealist Saddam Hussein was. After seeing this film I'm just glad that Uday Hussein never had a chance to hold that kind of power. If he had this country would still be suffering as a result.

Plot


Baghdad, the playground for the rich and infamous, where anything can be bought - but for a price. This is Uday Hussein's world and with his depraved lust for debauchery and immorality, he helps himself to whatever turns him on. When army lieutenant Latif Yahia is summoned to Saddam's palace, he is faced with an impossible request - to be Uday's 'fiday' - his body double, or have his family condemned to death. In a world entrenched in betrayal and corruption, knowing who to trust becomes a matter of life or death for Latif, as he battles to escape from his forced existence


There are two things that stand out in this film. The first being the unbelievable psychotic nature Uday possessed. The second was the performance of Dominic Cooper as the psychotic Uday. He found a way to turn a man into a living breathing monster. The things that Uday did in his lifetime were reprehensible and appalling. It was those acts and his defiance to humanity that made Uday a fearsome son of a bitch. On the other side of the coin, Cooper does an equally amazing job as Uday's "alter ego" Latif. The 2 men couldn't be any more opposite as a cat and dog. Cooper's portrayal as Latif creates a very natural balance to the over the top maniacal Uday. It was unsettling to see Latif immerse himself into Uday's world in an attempt to be a more believable double. He is an honorable man that was forced to be part of a life and word that he despised.

It's that life that filled me with wonder and mystery.

The film was based on the book written by the real life Latif Yahia who's as far as we know living in Ireland with his wife and two children. At least that's where he was last seen. There's still a price on his head despite Uday's death. The book chronicles his experience as the double and it's those moments that I question....sort of. It's no shock to everyone that Hollyweird loves to take a great story and for the sake of the almighty $$$ ramp it up with over the top steroid induced scenes that take away from the journey the person lived. There were several scenes here that I felt were like that but I couldn't be fully convinced considering the person being portrayed in the film. Uday Hussein was the devil incarnate and it wouldn't have been a shock to me if the specific things he did in the film actually happened. And that boys and girls is what made this movie so good for me. The unknown and the amazing performance given to us by Cooper.

Regardless of any potential sensationalism by Tinseltown. The Devil's Double was a very tight thriller that will make you hate another human being while thanking god that he's no longer on this earth. I normally would never wish death on anyone but the world is a much better place with that psycho 6 feet deep.

On the 5 star scale. The Devil's Double gets 4 stars with a "Worth Every Penny" recommendation. Just like Attack the Block, this film has not gotten a nationwide release and I fear that the buzz is not strong enough to branch this out to your local cinema. So you should be on the look out for it when it comes out on Netflix or Redbook. 

That's a wrap for today. Up next is 30 Minuets or Less.

Until Next Episode....'I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"