The Devil’s Double
Set during the Gulf War in 1990, Dominic Cooper stars in this glamourised biography of Latif Yahia. Latif is forcefully summoned by Saddam Hussein’s eldest son Uday, and blackmailed to become his body double. But nothing could’ve prepared him for this reckless party-boy who indulges in rape, drugs and murder. His psychotic streak was even too much for Saddam himself! Uday was terrified of assassination however, hence the demand of a double. Cooper acts against himself in almost every scene, playing both the sensitive and moral Latif, and the sadistic bully Uday. Even though, his performance as Latif was sometimes wooden, the contrast performance of Uday was so convincing you swore it was another actor. Uday is first introduced as a buck-toothed mummy’s boy you laughed at, but the scenes of him at his worst are gruesome and uncomfortable. As Cooper states, “I had to get into the mind of someone I found revolting”. The part of Uday was certainly a challenge, but Cooper triumphs. In this first half, you’re presented with scene after scene of unsettling incidents, without a clear indication of where the story is going, that you wonder what the point of it all is. Eventually, the climax and resolutions develop. On the whole, without a doubt, Dominic Cooper’s most chilling but incredible performance to date!
Reviewer: Karen Byers
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