Review of The Devil's Double (2011) by Jay L — 23 Dec 2011

"WE COULD BE TWINS....".

A stone-cold endeaver of brutality, an unflinching and completely honest tale of violence, corruption and greed. Director Lee Tamahori (Next) crafted an excellent, but sadistically violent film here that's most definately not for the faint of heart. It's the shocking true story of Saddam Hussein's son Uday and his body double. Like it says on the box it's a perfect mix of Goodfellas and Scarface, but it's far more brutal and gritty than both films put together. The Devils Double is an intensely violent, seriously bloody, downright ugly film that was executed quite well by Lee Tamahori and company. It's slick, stylish, shocking, brutal and gripping, it's one of those films that will fill you with anger and sadness. The life that Uday Hussein lived was full of sex, drugs, violence, women, corruption and murder, this man was a truly evil human being who only loved and thought about himself. A stirring film that left me feeling quite uneasy afterwards, but it really is a spectacular mock-documentary of Uday Hussein and his fathers royal Iraqi regime. This guy had no remorse, he was a psychotic in every sense of the word, soaked with power, and majorly feared by the people of Iraq, Uday Hussein was a true monster. The Devils Double does not shy away from the brutalities that this man evoked on the people. His body double led an even more terrifying life, a life that was so tempting and full of life's best, but nonetheless, a very dangerous and dysphoric life as well. Prepare yourself for quite a wild ride here and keel this one locked away from the children, an eye-opener to say the least that left me quite speechless.

Dominic Cooper stars in a dual roll as both Uday Hussein and the body double as well. This guy turns in a spectacularly marvelously disturbing and downright volatile performance. It's the best work of his career by far. This guy is a great and tremendously talented actor that I look foreward to seeing more of. Many other great performances are turned in as well.