The Devil's Double (2011)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
The Devil's Double Videos & Photos
Movie Info
Summoned from the frontline to Saddam Hussein's palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) is thrust into the highest echelons of the "royal family" when he's ordered to become the 'fiday' - or body double - to Saddam's son, the notorious "Black Prince" Uday Hussein (also Dominic Cooper), a reckless, sadistic party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality. With his and his family's lives at stake, Latif must surrender his former self forever as he learns to walk, talk and … More
| Rating: | R (for strong brutal bloody violence and torture, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and pervasive language) |
| Genre: | Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense |
| Directed By: | Lee Tamahori |
| Written By: | Michael Thomas |
| In Theaters: | Jul 29, 2011 Limited |
| On DVD: | Nov 22, 2011 |
| Box Office: | $1.4M |
| Runtime: |
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Cast
as Latif Yahia/Uday Hus...
as Sarrab
as Munem
as Saddam Hussein/Faoaz
as Ali
as Azzam
as Yassem Al-Helou
as Latif's Father
as Kamel Hannah
as Kurd
as Said
as Lickspittle
as Latif's Mother
as Father of School Gir...
as Gallaha
as Manservant
as Bride
as Mohammed
as Rokan
as Republican Guard
as Mercedes Driver
as Captain
as Amer
as Assassin
as Munem's Wife
as Rayban Kid
as Qusay
as Revolutionary Guard
as Sajida
as School Girl 2
as Hennahead
as Abdel Akle
as Kid on Crutches
as Uday's Doctor
as East German Doctor
as East German Doctor
as Beauty
as Saad
as School Girl
as School Girl
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LoginCritic Reviews for The Devil's Double
All Critics (115) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (49) | DVD (11)
Equally as offensive as the movie's smorgasbord of smut and violence is the lingering whiff of colonial-era orientalism, a Western predilection for regarding Eastern cultures as innately idle, lascivious, irrational, and thus ripe for intervention.
It is a ghastly, riveting, dazzling piece of work.
Cooper is great, in a great part. But for an actor, not for his audience.
The Devil's Double is a fantastic film that features a central performance so compelling, you'd be foolish to look away even for a second.
Dominic Cooper is bloody brilliant.
Never develops into anything beyond a concept.
Audience Reviews for The Devil's Double
An Iraqi army conscript is forced to become the body double of Saddam Hussein's psychotic son and finds himself losing his identity as he drowns in a sea of depravity and murder. There have already been a slew of projects based on the Iraq war and The Devil's Double is an interesting film in that it shows the other side of the conflict, to some extent at least. Dominic Cooper makes a decent fist of playing both the pampered, debauched and sadistic member of the Iraqi elite and his moral, working class impersonator who is appalled by the behaviour of those who rule. Sort of a bizarre cross between such diverse stories as The Prisoner Of Zenda, The Last King Of Scotland and Scarface, the excesses and violence of The Devil's Double are counterpointed by the even more bizarre fact that it is actually a true story. I think it would have been better for the greater context of the life of ordinary Iraqis of the time but it still makes for a shocking and brutal journey through the looking glass into Saddam's world.
Super Reviewer
This film confers on the supposedly true story of Iraqi soldier Latif Yahia (Cooper), who was taken from the front lines in 1987 to be the body double of Saddam Hussein's son Uday Hussein. Though this story cannot be confirmed because body doubles are confidential and reputed by the Iraqi government, it does have all the makings of being true, what with the ill will that Hussein's subjects had towards him. The film really revolves around the disgusting actions of Uday Hussein, which have been documented, including his abduction and rape of young girls, his berserk murders of government officials, and his eventual assassination attempt. From Latif's perspective he is encased in the bureaucracy of the country, and has to do the bidding of the contemptuous heir to save his family from direct violence. Based on Uday's evil tirades against his own people and his brutish behavior as observed from countless witnesses, the events depicted did not affect me negatively, and didn't seem over the top or senseless. What bothers you as the viewer is the personality that Dominic Cooper dons in order to portray Uday Hussein. Hussein is definitely shown as being oafish with aplomb, which is again fine, but there's also this stupidity and frat boy edge to the role which makes it cartoonish at many times. This may be because of the opulence of his lifestyle, but most of the time it comes from his doddering appearance, which makes him seem mentally challenged more than malevolent. As Latif, Cooper does an outstanding job of playing the dispassionate stooge to Uday's war hungry son. The world of Iraq during the Gulf War is easily crafted, and the majesty of Hussein's world is well represented, but it simply reads as a smoke screen to the violence going on onscreen. There are some questionable performances, but at least it was intriguing to see into that world.
Super Reviewer
A spectacular cinematic tour de force. A masterpiece in it`s own right. Director, Lee Tamahori crafts his finest and most dazzling piece of work yet. It`s Scarface meets Goodfellas. A wild movie ride that chills you to the core that blows you away. It`s utterly shocking, truly breathtaking and absolutely unforgettable. This movie is cool as hell. One of the most stylish, intense, remarkable and award-worthy movies of 2011. A wickedly entertaining and explosive crime-thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. It`s riveting, hard-boiled and action-packed. It has your heart-pounding and mind blown every step of the way. Dominic Cooper gives an amazing and unforgettable performance. A outstanding portrayel that will be talked about for years. Cooper is beyound brillaint playing these two different and explsoive characters and it sets the screen on fire, this is surely the making of a true movie star perfromance that deserves to be noticed. An electrifying and hard-edged adrenaline-rush.
Super Reviewer
The Devil's Double Quotes
| Latif Yahia: | You forget, I died the day I came here. |
| Uday Hussein: | My brother's, welcome to Baghdad. |
| Uday Hussein: | Fuck! Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fucking Kuwaitis! I fucking hate Jews, I hate horseflies and I hate fucking Persians, but I hate fucking Kuwaitis more! |
| Uday Hussein: | Ali! [tilts head towards bride] |
| Ali: | [nods] |
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