Review: The Devil's Double
In the late 1980s, Iraq was plagued by an insane tyrant, a monster at the highest level of government. But the evil creature of whom we speak was not the President. Rather, his older son was, Uday Saddam Hussein. Like his father, Uday wanted a body double both for protection and to portray him in unpleasant public appearances. Thus an old schoolmate with an uncanny resemblance was brought to the palace, and that is where the life of Latif Yahia was to effectively come to an end. The Devil's Double, opening in Austin theaters today, is an account of Latif's experiences as he was forced into service of one of the most evil men on Earth.
Alternately charming, sexy and then terrifying, Dominic Cooper delivers the performance of a lifetime as both Uday Hussein and stand-in Latif. His performance of each character is so strong I thought at first I was seeing two different lookalike actors.
Seen from the point of view of Latif, The Devil's Double is more the story of Uday as he sinks deeper into insanity, driven by a schizophrenic worship/hatred for a cold, distant father: a father whom Uday can't himself tell apart from his double. Uday believes in his father as a national hero who has made Iraq into a world power and himself as a prince of a new dynasty with god-like powers over his people. Even as he lives in a palace surrounded by all the luxuries provided by his father, Uday rebels in every way, sinking ever deeper into sexual depravity and drug abuse while the disapproving Latif looks on.
Latif, meanwhile, is forced to participate by threats against his life and that of his family. Surgically altered, with dental overlays and shoe inserts to make him taller, Latif is indistinguishable from the monster Uday. He grows more unhappy and restless as Uday's madness increases. His only companionship lies in secret trysts with Uday's own favorite concubine, Sarrab (Ludivine Sagnier). As Uday begins to demand Latif hurt or kill the objects of his anger, Latif begins to rebel.
The first Iraq war was the first time audiences were exposed to live televised images of modern warfare, and it left an indelible mark on Americans who lived through it. Through video of nighttime rocket attacks and burning oil fields, the name Saddam Hussein became to our generation as feared and reviled as Hitler. The intimate portrait of life in his house shown in The Devil's Double is as fascinating as it is horrifying.
Beautifully shot, with a soundtrack full of 80s dance hits, my only complaints are that some of the outdoor establishing shots are grainy with a look that doesn't quite match the rest of the film. Also, it could have been cut to shave it down a few minutes, especially with some of the Iraq war footage which was used repeatedly. The Devil's Double is worth watching not only for Cooper's performance (and he proves himself a contender with this one) but also because it raises the question, "What if we didn't really get Saddam? What if it was just his double?"