The Devil's Double (2011)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Manu G

  
  Play the part or suffer the consequences Good movie and good plot. The Devil's Double is a "take no prisoners" film that's as hard to watch as it is entertaining. The acting in dual roles by Dominic Cooper, his first film as lead, is Oscar worthy. He gives both… More
  Play the part or suffer the consequences Good movie and good plot. The Devil's Double is a "take no prisoners" film that's as hard to watch as it is entertaining. The acting in dual roles by Dominic Cooper, his first film as lead, is Oscar worthy. He gives both men their own voices, mannerisms and idiosyncrasies, that instantly allow the viewer to tell them apart. Baghdad, the playground for the rich and infamous, where anything can be bought - but for a price. This is Uday Hussein's world and with his depraved lust for debauchery and immorality, he helps himself to whatever turns him on. When army lieutenant Latif Yahia is summoned to Saddam's palace, he is faced with an impossible request - to be Uday's 'fiday' - his body double, or have his family condemned to death. In a world entrenched in betrayal and corruption, knowing who to trust becomes a matter of life or death for Latif, as he battles to escape from his forced existence.

• familiar s

  
  Latif Yahia. The character, I'd never ever heard of before watching this movie, got me interested. Later on that. The movie works alright, but [as usual] could have far been better had they had access to my insight. The drama works quite alright until its flight of fantasy got… More
  Latif Yahia. The character, I'd never ever heard of before watching this movie, got me interested. Later on that. The movie works alright, but [as usual] could have far been better had they had access to my insight. The drama works quite alright until its flight of fantasy got irritatingly off limits. It's a downhill story after it begins on a fine note. And we also have the case of miscasting. Most of the cast was. However, Dominic Cooper is exceptional and turns out to be the savior. His performance is par excellence. He transforms into both the roles quite handily. Not flawless, though. The main problem was the script. It paints Uday Hussein as pure evil and Latif its exact opposite. Only that he can't oppose and/or revolt against the orders, whatsoever they might be, given to him by his superiors until the script finally demands. After all, we've to deal with the limited runtime, right? Can't let it go on and on and on and on and..... Oops, I didn't mean to take disadvantage of the runtime, i.e. text limit here. Just a bit more since I mentioned about exploring the character at the very outset. Since it got me interested, I read about him at different sites and articles. His story, as in the movie, is undoubtedly exaggerated, but I couldn't believe that he is some conman as some reporters are claiming. That's my personal belief until I visited his very own website. No doubt, I ended up with a second opinion. [Visit it if you're looking for something funny. It unintentionally manages to do so now and again.] Concerning the movie, as Latif (depicted in the movie) might have had it: "It's a good concept in the bad hands." Yeah, a CON-CEPT gone awry.

• Cynthia S

  
  Excellent film. A strong, and compelling, drama that paints a horrid picture of an obscene lifestyle by an evil family without conscience. We are not given info about how this all evolved over time, but we are given quite a good representation of what it became. Dominic Cooper… More
  Excellent film. A strong, and compelling, drama that paints a horrid picture of an obscene lifestyle by an evil family without conscience. We are not given info about how this all evolved over time, but we are given quite a good representation of what it became. Dominic Cooper apparently played both parts of Uday Hussein and Latif Yahia, and it was done spectacularly. I am really surprised that it wasn't on the list of Oscar Nominees.

• Anthony L

  
  Wow, Lee Tamahori has made a good film! That's slightly unfair of me, Mulholland Falls was pretty good at the time. Anyway - The Devil's Double is far superior to any of his other films and for my money was the big overlooked film of 2011. I'm no Dominic Cooper fan… More
  Wow, Lee Tamahori has made a good film! That's slightly unfair of me, Mulholland Falls was pretty good at the time. Anyway - The Devil's Double is far superior to any of his other films and for my money was the big overlooked film of 2011. I'm no Dominic Cooper fan but he was on top form here too, playing both lead roles brilliantly. The story is fantastic also, It would have been rubbish if it were made up but for some reason the fact that this is a true story makes it all the more intense, more terrifying and therefore more fascinating. it shouldn't be overlooked as just another action film either, there is real intelligence here unlike your average Guy Richie film. Anyway, I'm waffling, see this film, it is good!

• Everett J

  
  "The Devil's Double" is the story of a Latif(Dominic Cooper) who is ordered to become Uday Hussein's(also Dominic Cooper) body double. Uday is the son of Saddam Hussein, and he is one reckless, cocky, horny mofo. He lives life on the edge and provides some very… More
  "The Devil's Double" is the story of a Latif(Dominic Cooper) who is ordered to become Uday Hussein's(also Dominic Cooper) body double. Uday is the son of Saddam Hussein, and he is one reckless, cocky, horny mofo. He lives life on the edge and provides some very shocking scenes of insanity and terror. Latif is the complete opposite of Uday, but if he doesn't do the job, his family will be murdered, so he goes along with it. Cooper gives one of the best performances of the year playing the duel roles. They may look identical, but the way he portrays them both, it's truly hard to believe it's the same actor. The movie is uneven in parts, and drags a bit. But when the action happens, or when Uday does something crazy, it's simply riveting. I have no clue how much of this is real, but it's pretty entertaining. Not many other movies out there like this. So, if you want something different and very edgy, then give it a shot.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Money. Sex. Power. It's not enough."</i> A chilling vision of the House of Saddam Hussein comes to life through the eyes of the man who was forced to become the double of Hussein's sadistic son. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"Money. Sex. Power. It's not enough."</i> A chilling vision of the House of Saddam Hussein comes to life through the eyes of the man who was forced to become the double of Hussein's sadistic son. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> A look into the seedy and disgusting world of Uday Hussein and his unfortunate body double. This is like the Prince and the Pauper, if the prince were a homicidal rapist. The film preys on our fears of helplessness as Latif is forced to do Uday's bidding, or his family will be punished. The milieu resembles the Uganda of The Last King of Scotland, about a young doctor allowed into 1970s dictator Idi Amin's inner sanctum. In both films, the drama is fueled by how an innocent adjusts to a life of coerced participation in a world of brute autocratic power, blatant corruption and insane decadence backed by the pitiless armed force of a totalitarian state. The moral dilemma forced upon Yahia is exquisitely intense as this basically decent fellow has no choice but to merge his own identity not only with someone he loathes, but in public. The alternative is, if not his own death, the death and torture of his family. The complex and terrifying give-and-take between the two men is fascinating to follow until a certain point late in the proceedings when all common sense is thrown out the window in what seems like a hasty attempt to wrap up the story. Dominic Cooper is incredible in a double performance, where you soon forget he is playing both parts. His Uday is a cartoon villain that is kind of dorky, but he knows how to capture the manic violence. As Latif he is a strong but broken man, who in a way inspires those around him to stand up to Uday. The film does well to shock, without ever becoming too gratuitous. Sometimes it shows the violence, sometimes the aftermath, and sometimes the mere mention of what has happened is enough to make you cringe. People can debate whether any of this is true or not, but the film makes for a diabolical treat, one that doesn't glorify a life of excess.

• Stuart B

  
  Good movie, totally over the top acting, but the real guy was as mad as a bicycle anyway. Word of warning, I nearly choked on my sandwich with the gutting scene, wasn't expecting it and you really will be shocked as the violence just that one time.

• Al S

  
  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 and absolutely… More
  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 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.

• jay n

  
  An excellent double performance from Dominic Cooper is the highlght of this film but it is an ugly tale.

• Luke B

  
  A look into the seedy and disgusting world of Uday Hussein and his unfortunate body double. This is like the Prince and the Pauper, if the prince were a homicidal rapist. The film prays on our fears of helplessness as Latif is forced to do Uday's bidding, or his family will be… More
  A look into the seedy and disgusting world of Uday Hussein and his unfortunate body double. This is like the Prince and the Pauper, if the prince were a homicidal rapist. The film prays on our fears of helplessness as Latif is forced to do Uday's bidding, or his family will be punished. Dominic Cooper is incredible in a double performance, where you soon forget he is playing both parts. His Uday is a cartoon villain that is kind of dorky, but he knows how to capture the manic violence. As Latif he is a strong but broken man, who in a way inspires those around him to stand up to Uday. The film does well to shock, without ever becoming too gratuitous. Sometimes it shows the violence, sometimes the aftermath, and sometimes the mere mention of what has happened is enough to make you cringe. Tamahori, as his past would suggest, is more comfortable with action than outand out tension. Something tells me I should have been as scared of Uday as I am of Pesci in Scorsese films. This isn't Cooper's fault, but the fast nature of the movie and the blaring 80's soundtrack. People can debate whether any of this is true or not, but the film makes for a diabolical treat, one that doesn't glorify a life of excess.

• Cory T

  
  Tragically underwritten and monotonous, The Devil's Double could've been a magnificent dual-role frenzy for Cooper who plays both Uday (with a Bugs Bunny overbite) and his "fiday" Latif (with a one-note dillusioned-with-his-countrymen frown). It becomes so… More
  Tragically underwritten and monotonous, The Devil's Double could've been a magnificent dual-role frenzy for Cooper who plays both Uday (with a Bugs Bunny overbite) and his "fiday" Latif (with a one-note dillusioned-with-his-countrymen frown). It becomes so patterned that by the umpteenth time Uday exclaims "look it's me" while watching his doppelganger gives speeches and undergo surgery, the audience is thirsting for a more complex plot to kick in. Unfortunately, what begins as enthralling soon becomes a wearisome Brian De Palma gangster picture that fails to capitalize on its true story and instead copies Stockholm Syndrome cliches.

• Aaron N

  
  Uday: You will have everything you want. Everything I own will belong to you. The idea of having a body double living your life with you, let alone taking your place when you would desire it is interesting. The subject matter presented in The Devil's Double takes it to the… More
  Uday: You will have everything you want. Everything I own will belong to you. The idea of having a body double living your life with you, let alone taking your place when you would desire it is interesting. The subject matter presented in The Devil's Double takes it to the extreme, as the son of Sadam Hussein makes the life of his lookalike a living hell, which is fitting, given the title of the film. It makes it more intriguing that the film is based on a true story, which could be seen as a sexed and violenced up version, but still fits the bill of an intensely told tale, where a man is in quite the struggle to do what is right, despite being the representative for a man who is quite evil. The film is much stronger, thanks to its lead actor in a dual performance. While it only borders on greatness, the film is still a solid, if intense depiction of the life of the double for the devil. read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com

• William D

  
  Dominic Cooper gives a breakthrough performance in "The Devil's Double," but it's a superficial melodrama nonetheless. This is not much more than a biopic such as you'd expect on a basic-cable channel. It's moderately entertaining but totally… More
  Dominic Cooper gives a breakthrough performance in "The Devil's Double," but it's a superficial melodrama nonetheless. This is not much more than a biopic such as you'd expect on a basic-cable channel. It's moderately entertaining but totally one-dimensional. Dominic Cooper deserves better. The story is about Uday Hussein, the wildly narcissistic and immature (and possibly gay) son of Saddam Hussein. This is great material for cinema, but unfortunately the screenwriters and the director, Lee Tamahori ("Along Came a Spider," "Die Another Day"), chose only to scratch surfaces. I wish a more artistically serious team had signed onto this project. Tamahori should become dubbed Mr. Superficial. He's a total hack.

• Dann M

  
  The Devil's Double is a surprisingly compelling drama that's based on true events. The story follows the life of Latif Yahia who was forced into being a body double for Uday Hussein, the Black Prince of Iraq, during the 80s and 90s. Dominic Cooper gives an excellent… More
  The Devil's Double is a surprisingly compelling drama that's based on true events. The story follows the life of Latif Yahia who was forced into being a body double for Uday Hussein, the Black Prince of Iraq, during the 80s and 90s. Dominic Cooper gives an excellent performance as Latif/Uday, and Ludivine Sagnier gives an equally compelling performance as their mistress. The film presents a fascinating look at the sadistic mentality of Hussein, and of the imprisoned life of a body double. The Devil's Double is an engrossing film about an intriguing subject.

• Jeff T

  
  THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE is not a great movie, but it's a good one with a smashingly great central performance (two of them, actually - both by the same guy), so it's hard not to recommend it. Dominic Cooper plays Uday Hussein and a body double who bore witness to the… More
  THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE is not a great movie, but it's a good one with a smashingly great central performance (two of them, actually - both by the same guy), so it's hard not to recommend it. Dominic Cooper plays Uday Hussein and a body double who bore witness to the criminal, inhuman excesses of Hussein - and Cooper is just plain terrific in both parts. He chews every available bit of scenery as the sociopath and then goes deep into the heart of the pained observer and gets both of them kind of exactly right. The movie itself is a little free-form and could use more structure - but getting to watch good young actor bust out like this is worth of the price of admission alone.

• Sheldon C

  
  What starts off as a thrilling and nerve-filled character piece, in which Dominic Cooper takes the reigns to two key roles (Saddam Hussein's crazy son and his unreluctant double) and hits the mark on both, ends on a whimper as the last act of the film fails to maintain the… More
  What starts off as a thrilling and nerve-filled character piece, in which Dominic Cooper takes the reigns to two key roles (Saddam Hussein's crazy son and his unreluctant double) and hits the mark on both, ends on a whimper as the last act of the film fails to maintain the momentum established by its strong premise, and subsequently results in a forced and unsatisfactory closure. Likewise, although THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE is an exciting film with solid production design and camerawork, credit must especially be given to Cooper's outstanding performance for carrying a film that has a bit too many flaws - the primary one being a poorly-written female lead that not only fails to captivate but also looks completely out of place.

• Panta O

  
  After fake "Iranian" movie, we have in this movie fake story about Iraq, and Angelina is now coming up with a fake Bosnian war story... wow... what is common in all these stories????... well I think it is a guilt somewhere hidden underneath all the lies... with the spinning… More
  After fake "Iranian" movie, we have in this movie fake story about Iraq, and Angelina is now coming up with a fake Bosnian war story... wow... what is common in all these stories????... well I think it is a guilt somewhere hidden underneath all the lies... with the spinning doctors trying to say: Hey, we are the good guys - Clinton-Bush factory of death is actually a corporation of good guys! Yes, you should accept that: we bombard you, we give you loans to rebuild with high interest and our companies doing the job... and we make you watch crappy movies why we did it! If someone is using REAL historical names I'd expect some credibility behind the story - but Hollywood and the media reporting about the movies are now going too far - remaking the history and selling pure lies for the "regime" (and "entertainment" money) sake... forgetting that, at least the media, has a duty to report the truth as best they can. Even if I disregard the fake story, and change the names, the movie is still relentlessly violent and lurid and has NO POINT for most people who are not brainwashed rednecks! Acting was the only bright point in it, I can think of! I had enough... and I'm begging you - please, do not waste your time on this rubbish - it pollutes the mind much more than stupidities of recent Nicholas Cage movies!

• Cameron J

  
  This film probably has the most convoluted, uninformative trailer that I've seen in a while, or at least that's how it felt, because after a while, they seemed more interested in style than substance in that trailer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because that… More
  This film probably has the most convoluted, uninformative trailer that I've seen in a while, or at least that's how it felt, because after a while, they seemed more interested in style than substance in that trailer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because that trailer features the greatest "Mantoge" I've seen in a long time. It has guns, smokes, booze, cars, beautiful women, explosions and hard rock; and just like that I was pumped. Of course, then I saw the film, and around the time they watch a video of one man having his teeth pulled, one man being waterboarded and a man having his teeth pulled out and his hands crushed, I all but pulled a purse out of thin air, because if that's what it takes to be a man, I was out. Of course, then they got back to the guns, smokes, booze, cars, beautiful women, explosions and hard rock, as advertised, and just like "Certified Real Man" Steven Tyler, I was back in the saddle again. A real man can only go so long without jumping right back into a Lionsgate film that's basically a mixture of "Crank", "The Last King of Scotland" and, well, "Leaves of Grass", which I think is actually a perfectly appropriate piece to that mixture for a very obvious reason. No, not because it features someone pulling off a stellar dual role performance, but because Iraqis are pretty much the rednecks of the Middle East, which of course makes this a perfect portrait on why we should give a whole lot of money and power to crazy rednecks, because then you'll end up with Opie off of "The Andy Griffith Show" adapting "The Da Vinci Code". Well, that, and some painfully hard-to-watch, rather gratuitous gore, which isn't to say that that's the only problem in this film. The problem with the film is its pacing, not in feel of progression, but in story progression, because this film just rushes through a good deal of events, and before you can fully lock into the scenario, it's on to the next bit. It doesn't help that the film gets repetative at points. Of course, what damages our investment in the film, and by extension, the whole experience itself is the total lack of development. Now, the film isn't totally devoid of exposition, but director Lee Tamahori's notorious big-dumb-action film sensibilities are palpable, as he pays little attention to absorbing our investment in the characters and getting a real feel for who they are. Were this film in the hands of a director more use to incorporating dramatic character aspects in the midst of grit and style, this film would have been deeply impacting and memorable, rather than forgettable and devoid of emotional investment. That's what I would say about an otherwise unexceptional film, something this film is most certainly not. Tamahori may not have his heart in the game, put the other players work this machine with grace, something I never I thought I'd say about a film with a scene where someone gets his hamstring split, his hands cut, the guts cut out and his eye taking a bullet at close range, and yet, here I am, complementing the artistic sensibilities behind the film. Although Lee Tamahori's big action sensibilities leave emotional investment in our characters to take a heavy blow, it grants him an understanding of tension, something made greater by the handsome cinematography. There's not much terribly outstanding about the visual style behind the film, but it glows just bright enough to emphasize the sparkle and dazzle of the scenario, but has enough bleakness to it to emphasize the grit and tension as the darkness of the story unravels. This intensifies the gritty, actiony atmosphere set by Tamahori and evokes tension that builds with the darkness in the story, particularly when action does come into play, arousing some emotional investment and resonance in the story and characters. Of course, what all but arouses "total" emotional investment and resonance in the story and characters is the lead performance, or rather, lead performances by Dominic Cooper, who's transformation into these two people of entirely different personalities and morals is absolutely seamless. If that's not impressive enough, his transformations into both Latif Yahia and Uday Hussein are so deep, so fully realized and so mesmerizing that you not only have little, if any idea that these two people are Dominic Cooper, but have little, if any idea that "either" of these two people are Dominic Cooper. Tamahori puts no effective effort into building on our two leads, but Cooper fully embodies the lives and atmosphere of our central characters, nailing Hussein's heartless, insane level of corruption and greed in a consistent and believable, yet rather layered fashion, while also nailing Yahia's sense of honor and entrapment in this seemingly hopless and dark scenario that's far over his head. Watching Cooper deliver not one, but two, layered and deeply transformative performances is a hypnotic experience by itself, much less when he's actually working off of himself in such a flawless fashion that you feel as though you really are watching two people conduct this tense, awe-inspiring dance of greed and entrapment, making Cooper the real teller of this tale that he builds and builds, leaving you constantly on the edge of your seat, seeing what next gasp-summoning event he will boldly lead next. In conclusion, the rushed, often repetative storyline is exacerbated by a borderline total absence of development that could have very well made this a forgettable, emotionally vacant, potential squanderer of a film, but what Tamahori lacks in character sensibilities, he makes up for with a sensibility of setting tension, ameliorated by a stylish visual style, and made completely effective by Dominic Cooper's stellar, transformative and layered dual performances that clash and spark up the powerful fires of compellingness that make "The Devil's Double" a consistently intriguing and tensely thrilling study on the cruel corruption of Uday Hussein, and the struggles faced by the man he trapped in his horrifying world. 3/5 - Good

• Jeffrey M

  
  The Devil's Double is a great thriller based on a frighteningly true story. Its' energy and grittiness is relentless, with very strong direction. Especially impressive was Dominic Cooper, who plays two distinct parts to near perfection. The film could have easily been much… More
  The Devil's Double is a great thriller based on a frighteningly true story. Its' energy and grittiness is relentless, with very strong direction. Especially impressive was Dominic Cooper, who plays two distinct parts to near perfection. The film could have easily been much longer had it wanted to cover the Hussein family more broadly; for those wanting that, I'd highly recommend House of Saddam.

• Fascade F

  
  Totally one insane (and possibly true!) portrayal of the "enlistment" of Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) by Uday Hussein, Saddam Hussein's son to be his body double. After being coerced into accepting the new job assignment, it was only just a matter of time before he… More
  Totally one insane (and possibly true!) portrayal of the "enlistment" of Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) by Uday Hussein, Saddam Hussein's son to be his body double. After being coerced into accepting the new job assignment, it was only just a matter of time before he starts to look for a way out of this particular assignment. Seeing what he experienced one would only do whatever it takes to get out which is obviously easier said than done. Experience Latif's mental anguish as he tries to maintain his moral code as a human being in this intense drama. Taking on a high position job may not ever be what it is cut out to be even in the mind of a madman. See it...

Read all 20 featured audience ratings