The Devil's Double [Blu-ray]

Great movie

This is a story of what extreme power can do: make those in power psychopathic monsters. Some are at ease with power. They recognize its dark side and step lightly to avoid becoming corrupt despots. The Hussein family did just the opposite. They used their power to become monsters. All in all, however, this is a fine film, and Dominic Cooper was fascinating as Hussein's violent son, prone to gratuitously harming others just because he could.

Although the movie had some historical inaccuracies. Dominic Cooper gives way to a great performance in this amazing tale of an unsung hero to some and a threat to others. In the midst of the most turbulent times. Hope and justice prevailed. With a tremendous cost. This story, casted by light and shadowed with facts so rich and thrilling, you almost can not believe it to be a true story! A man embraced by pitfalls, surrounded by snakes. While there were many others, who suffered equally and lost the lives of loved ones.. The sadness and grief, filled with a giant ball of turbulence. One can say, this person known as Latif Yahia is a hero regardless of anyone's thoughts or views. A title so fitting for a man who actually went to hell and back! This is a must see film.

In one of the features in the dvd, I was surprised to hear the director say he went for a fictionalized verson of Uday, yet continually referenced the real person in newsreels, in content, by calling him Uday Hussein in the movie and told of his demise in epilogue. However, at the end of the actual action, I was presented with a scene that appeared to be complete fiction. So, what I saw overall was a good film, but rather confusing in its point. Further the director said he wanted to dig to find out how Saddam Hussein and his wife created such evil as Uday and Qusay, the same idea which drew me to this film in the first place. I kept waiting for some small revelation of how's and why's here, but found none. Instead, Uday is presented as a rather one-dimensional, completely repulsive character, lacking any humanity or any redeeming qualities. Perhaps he was truly like that, but he also likely had more facets than we see in this film. Nevertheless, at the heart of the film is the relationship between Uday and his body double, both played absolutely brilliantly by Dominic Cooper. The interviews with both Dominic Cooper and the real Latif in the extras were absolutely fascinating. There is a lot of graphic violence and sadistic behavior, but I think the director did a great job of restraint in portraying examples of some of Uday's reprehensible acts. The viewer gets it without being abused by the images. Ultimately, this will be one of those movies I have to watch a few times to mine all of what the storyteller is trying to tell me. It's a good film, but at this point, I am just left wanting more...

This movie is great! It's about Saddam Hussein's perverted and twisted son Uday Hussein (and stated to be based on actual facts). It is a very disturbing, perverted and invoking, yet interesting movie that will really open your eyes to just how twisted this guy was and also gives a peek inside the mind of a terrorists mentality. It's almost comparable to an Iraqi version of Scarface, but in an extremely bad bad way. Uday Hussein actually makes Scarface look like a very nice guy in comparison. ;-) In fact, if the 2 were to meet in reality; Scareface would likely give this punk both barrels. "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!!!" But seriously, if you like suspense, drama and thrillers and enjoy movies that are based on factual events then this is a must see. My wife and I rented the movie from Blockbuster and I ordered it the following week to add to our library. Very well written!

What a fantastic depiction of one of the most intriguing sons of a bastard ever there was. Saddam's sons were notorious for their evil, corrupt, and maniacal ways. While in Iraq, I remember working out of locations used by Uday and Qusay (sp?) - next to a lake where the sons allegedly dumped bodies of the people they murdered. Although this was a Hollywood depiction, where everything must be taken with a grain of salt, Dominic Cooper does superbly in his role as both Latif Yahia and Uday Hussein. The real-life dude who was the actual body double supposedly lives in Ireland... or America depending on who you believe. I don't know for sure but this movie offers incredible insight to one of the most insidious people to plague the Iraqi people. I know a lot of people have their opinions regarding America's invasion of Iraq, including the supposed lack of WMDs, but if half of what this guy did was true - the Iraqi people, and the world, are better off without this bad cat. This movie both humanizes Uday and Latif, and provides insight into the atrocities people in power commit when they believe their actions have no consequences. Enjoy. Its worth the price of admission.

Since his very fine portrayal of early English freedom fighter turned Prime Minister James Fox in [damned extraordinary] historic epic THE DUCHESS, I've been a Dominic Cooper loyalist. But, in the immortal utterance of Keanu Reeves: *WHOA!* Because here's an absolute double transformation that few actors ever accomplish...for starters. Right here in THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE you're going to see the kind of gut punch, authentic surrealisme that Tarantino's films, even the greatest of them, have to undergo such visual and narrative distortion to achieve. This is a most bizzarro indie film that one suspects was funded and conceived in a most nontraditional chain of events, and you have to wonder how it might have impacted Mr. Cooper's career arc. That said, Cooper's great here, but you get the sense that it was his own talent, however imperfectly supported by the raw material, that makes this accidental horror film work in ways perhaps best described as "despite itself". Sadaam and his terrible troika of excess --torture and genocide and stolen wealth-- were conceived, installed, and supported by The West in general and the US in particular ...until they weren't, as a nasty, strategic offset to the Saudis. Whenever election time rolls around, just remember, *all that* was architected and supported by, not just the Bush Dynasty of the Presidency, but by Bush senior's what, nearly 40-year control of CIA. I can't imagine what it would've been like to survive under such a regime as Sadaam's, but the side benefit of this otherwise completely weird, inspired-by-true-events film is... that it probably does show a lot of that insane, terrible era. We watch in a couple cases, exactly what happens to transform otherwise highly educated and sane adults into monsters, corpses and shells of humanity. The intervention in a young bride's wedding reception is a close focus of actual events that show how impossible living a normal life was under Sadaam. Here in *our* now, the era of JE SUIS CHARLIE, where Western journalists are assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists, and international freedom of the press is threatened by religious extremists, I've personally come to feel that it's important to remember that Western support of torturing, insane despots like Sadaam is the fertilizer that enhances the rise of --or reversion to-- extreme evil of reactionary religious fundamentalism.

Fascinating story of Uday Hussein the son of Saddam and his life and how he lived in as told by his body double. This movie has it all the greed, the power, the madness of a son of from royalty and what he did with that power. Its moving it raw and it is a seductive movie that draws you in from the get go and never lets up. Dominic is one of those actors who you may not remember his name at first but you remember his performances. He has the looks and the ability and every role he takes he becomes the person he is playing and he does not fail here at all. He brings a little humanity to Uday while making us despise and loathe him for his actions. This is a good sleeper film that cannot go unseen.