The Devil's Double [DVD] [2017]

In some ways it feels like a film from 10 or 20 years earlier - maybe the treatment of a horrible but powerful person is just a bit too glamorous. If this film was made now, the tortures and executions and child rape scenes would be much darker, y'know? The plot has a couple of weaknesses that irritate me, which I won't spoil for you, but most folk would be willing to overlook them. In those respects it reminds me a lot of Behind Enemy Lines (in a slightly different genre). That said, there's shiny camerawork, lavish sets, the cast are capable, and it's all put together fairly well.Looking at it from a different angle: There are lots of navel-gazing Western films about Western soldiers in Iraq, but very few about the terrible things that happened under Saddam Hussein's rule. From that angle, it's a good change.

The Devil's Double is, to put it simply, uninteresting. No two ways about it, there is nothing exciting on show...absolutely nothing. It's not thrilling, it's not funny and it's not dramatic. So what's the point? Based on the true story of Latif who is chosen to be the body double of Saddam Hussein's son, Uday. Obviously, Latif does not have a choice and so he is forced to adjust to a lavish lifestyle of sex, money and power. Problem is, director Lee Tamahori really didn't fully showcase this to its maximum potential. Everything felt restrained and all too familiar. However, there were glimpses of the effects of tyranny. A rather depressing example was when Uday raped a bride in which shortly after she then committed suicide...on her wedding day. That's powerful and the shocking imagery will probably leave you terrified. That's the only time where this 'unlimited' power is fully demonstrated. Several night club scenes where we listen to 80's dance music (including Spin Me Right Round...always a classic), see naked people dance and wave some golden AK47's in the air. It's a lavish lifestyle, yes...but it's never used to enhance the story. It's just an environment to try and shock us. Dominic Cooper is the saviour, his dual performance as both Latif and Uday was electric and refreshing. A rather underrated performance of his. The supporting cast? Forgettable. Instantly. Fortunately the central performance was enough to keep me awake. Tamahori's direction was fine, nothing outstanding but he did the job well. Some of the gory scenes were a tad excessive but does highlight one point: "Don't make Uday angry, and always do what he says". Scenes where he attempts to pick up young girls for sex were unnecessary. Show it once, fine. Show it three times, not fine. We get it, Uday was an awful guy. If the scene wasn't powerful enough first time around, it's not going to be for the third time. The film is fine, it's functional and there are much worse films available. Dominic Cooper was excellent and just about saved an uninteresting film from being bad.

Very good film with some uncomfortable scenes, violence and nudity, and an excellent performance from Dominic Cooper.Blu-ray extras a little disappointing.

I had only heard about thie protagonist one before and had no idea that he was psychotic, all powerful, sadistic, malignant, narcissist, psycopath. The poor Iraqi people have been through so much. Totally gripping held me from the first secod to the last and then a lot of studying afterwards. Stay safe Latif you are free now.

Dominic Cooper was absolutely brilliant in his role as both Uday and Latif. He came across as two very different people. You could feel how trapped Latif felt. The cinematography and scenery was stunning. Latif appeared on 'Banged up Abroad' telling his story and it was almost the same as what had happened in the film except there was no woman he escaped with. The true life ending was a little different to way the film portrayed it.

I first saw this movie by chance when it aired on UK BBC. I liked the advert and the hype around it ...not to mention the lead actor Dominic Cooper. This is a smaller budgeted film (small if you compare to Hollywood blockbusters) but it was well acted and gave an insight into how things may have been back then. Its based on a true story but you can make up for yourself which sections you believe to be true. I liked the actors and director commentary in the added bonus pack. One of the gangster flicks genre.

Horrifying to see what dictators do to their own people. Shocking to see humans being so cruel.

If only half of this film is true it's very disturbing. That said, a much watch to understand what went on