THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE – The Review

One of the first fictional works to exploit the idea of identical twins from different social backgrounds was Mark Twain’s ” The Prince and the Pauper”. Television would pick up on the twin idea in programs as varied as ” The Patty Duke Show” and more recent “Ringer”. And of course the movies have jumped aboard with many film versions of the Twain novel and a couple of PARENT TRAP flicks. Well if turns out something similar has been going on in real life, particularly with Middle Eastern leaders and their families. This new film by director Lee Tamahori ( THE EDGE ) turns the clock back over twenty years In this true story of doubles and deception.

Dominic Cooper ( CAPTAIN AMERICA:THE FIRST AVENGER ) plays Latif Yahia, an ordinary man serving in the Iraqui Army. One day he is scooped up and brought to the royal palace in Baghdad. There he is re-united with his old classmate Uday Hussein, the son of the country’s dictator Saddam. Uday has decided that Latif will become his ‘fiday’ or body double. Latif is hesitant but reluctantly agrees after his family is threatened. He undergoes plastic surgery, is fitted for a dental prosthetic, and memorizes Uday’s mannerisms and history while his family believes that Latif died in battle. Latif is eyewitness to Uday’s physchotic behavior,violent outbursts, and sexual perversions. Somehow Latif catches the eye of one of the “party girls”, Saraab played by Ludivine Sagnier ( SWIMMING POOL ) and the two decide that they will somehow escape the clutches of Uday and his minions.

Tamahori has crafted a terrific film that’s part horror movie and part true political thriller based on Yahia’s book. News footage from the first Gulf War ( including speeches by Dick Cheney and George H. W. Bush ) is expertly woven into the proceedings. Uday’s mother, brother, and father are also portrayed in the film. Mom’s indulgent while the other two look at him with disappointment and disgust. We see bit of Saddam’s use of body doubles during an odd tennis match scene ( Did Saddam or his ‘fiday’ win the match? ).  The film is full of tension as the unpredictable Uday acts on his every sadistic whim. Two memorable sequences involve one of Saddam’s friends who spouts off at a party and Uday’s disruption of a wedding reception for a young soldier and his bride. We also see Uday’s relentless pursuit of schoolgirls through the city streets as citizens look on helplessly. The sets and costumes are very effective in showing off the opulence of the privileged royal family. Sagnier is impressive as the sexy, sympathetic, and conflicted Saraab. But the movie squarely rests on the very capable shoulders of Cooper in a bravura acting performance. He must pull off the distinct personalities of the two men and then show you Latif attempting to impersonate Uday. Cooper gives a quiet dignity to the young soldier who must coldly observe the horror around him. There’s very little of Latif’s subtlely in Cooper’s take on Uday. At first he seems a clown with his long cigars, bowl haircut, and over-sized teeth ( he almost resembles a circa 1950’s Jerry Lewis ), but then the beast emerges. This unmerciful, petulant child man turns into a mad, rabid dog that must be put down before more innocents suffer. This assured work from such a young actor makes THE DEVIL”S DOUBLE one of the year’s best films. Let’s hope his next film roles can fully make use of his talents.

Overall Rating: Four and a Half out of Five Stars