The Devil's Double: Blu Ray Review

The Devil's Double: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Beginning with a montage of marching Saddam Hussein supporters and ending the sequence with some mutilated bodies, The Devil's Double is in your face from the moment it begins.

Dominic Cooper stars as guard Latif Yahia, in this true story. In Iraq, Yahia's kidnapped by men working for Uday Hussein given how similar the pair look. Uday, also played by Cooper, is the playboy volatile son of Hussein and has decided Yahia's going to be his body double - whether he likes it or not.

So Yahia's immersed in the world of the Iraq regime against his will; repulsed by everything Uday stands for, Yahia tries his best to escape but soon realises, his life will never be the same because of the connection the pair share.

The Devil's Double is a powerhouse, tour de force performance from Cooper; as Yahia, he's quiet, studied and measured, giving a human side to what's essentially a difficult and nasty story to tell.

But as Uday, he's simply sensational; a fire cracker character with a toothy grin who's always likely to explode in violence, Cooper could have veered too far into OTT territory. Instead he manages to channel something akin to Nicholson's Joker from Batman, a ticking time bomb of menace which, despite the horror of what he does, you just can't tear your eyes off the screen.

Sadly the same can't be said of Ludivine Sagnier, who's supposed to be the love interest for both Uday and Latif. She's not strong enough to match the performance of Cooper and is weak by comparison.
Tamahori's also crafted something completely different on the screen. The majority of the film about the world of doppelgangers is bathed in a yellow - and scenes of marching soldiers, violent moments and news footage from the invasion of Kuwait is given a 80s synth pop soundtrack. It's bold and brave and in an occasionally controversial film which simmers at times with sickening violence, it gives it that point of difference.

All in all, The Devil's Double is a difficult watch in places but thanks to the career best from Cooper, it's watchable in a horrifying way.

Extras: None

Rating: