Review of The Devil's Double (2011) by Megan M — 25 Apr 2012

The Devil's Double is a film based on the memoirs of Latif Yahai who acted as Uday Hussein's double. Uday one of Saddam Hussein's sons is a morally depraved, addict, rapist, who's psychopathic behaviour transforms any person around him -especially Uday- into * Schrödinger's cat. *.

The Devil's Double is directed by Lee Tamahori whose filmography includes; Next, Die another Day, and The Edge. Based on the book by the same name and written by Latif Yahai. Similar films: Bronson.

Despite it's interesting premise The Devil's Double fails on many levels. Rather than being a political or revealing documentary like film, it settles for 108 minutes of violence, with a few news clips in between. The script and overall story line or lack there of does not highlight the main themes of sacrificing oneself only to transform into a devil, but focuses on a convoluted millionaire's fear and terror tactics.

Focusing mostly on violence the fine line of becoming not only the physical form of someone but mental form of someone could have been explored further. The acting in the film is what makes it worth watching, Dominic Cooper who was just recently in Captain America does the difficult job of portraying both Uday and Latif. His frightening real portrayal of Uday makes me truly believe he is a devil. The only flaw is the lack of personality overlap by the seemingly incorruptible Latif.

Not for the faint of heart The Devils' Double although, unfulfilling showcases Dominic Cooper's skillful acting and includes some thought provoking sub-text.

--6/10--.