The Devils Double

Released: 10th August 2011

Directed by: Lee Tamahori

Stars: Dominic Cooper

Certificate: 18

Reviewer: Luke Walkley

Playing a controversial political figure is never an easy job for an actor, so couple that with playing not one of them but two and its clear that Dominic Cooper really did have a tough test on his hands when he signed up for his twin roles as Uday Hussein and his lookalike Latif,  in ‘ The Devils Double’

Taken from his family, Latif is forced to portray Saddam’s ‘Third Son’ and Uday’s double in order to protect his family from harm. However Uday’s erratic and often sadistic behaviour causes Latif to become more and more agitated as he witnesses further acts of violence. Forced with an ultimatum, Latif must choose whether to risk his own life as well as the lives of his family in order to serve the needs of many and stop Uday.

As previously mentioned Coopers double act as both Uday and Latif was always going to be the toughest obstacle on the route to the film succeeding. If he faltered in his roles then the entire feature could crumble from the inside (perfect opportunity to make a smart-ass comment relating to the Hussein dictatorship and how that ironically crumbled in real life…however political satire is not my forte and therefore have no place in my reviews…akin to many peoples belief the US/UK had no place in Iraq…so close)

Luckily for the film Cooper delivers an impeccable performance, switching between Uday’s flippant and flamboyant mannerisms to the often cool, calm and collected Latif. It is this performance that earned Cooper his plaudits. The supporting cast offer a dose of reality to the proceedings and the man chosen to portray Saddam is near perfect in terms of appearance. The set pieces, props and locations are exuberant yet all the while tasteful and perfectly represent the over indulgent lifestyle of Uday Hussein.

When it comes to finding fault with this film, there’s nothing that jumps straight to the forefront. The climax of the film seems a little rushed and perhaps could have been fleshed out in places, thus allowing for greater suspense and a more involving finale.

The Devils Double is certainly a different experience, an unusual take on film making which see Cooper steal the show in his double persona. All in all, a great watch.