In The Devil’s Double, Dominic Cooper (Band of Brothers, An Education) stars as Latif Yahia, an Iraqi soldier chosen to become the body double for Saddam Hussein’s son, Uday Hussein, during the Gulf War. Cooper does a fantastic job portraying the life of Yahia as he is forced to become property of the Iraqi dictator, but the strength in the film lies in Cooper’s work in a double role. Filmmaker Lee Tamahori perfectly blends both characters on screen to create a seamless picture that allows the viewer to quickly forget they are witnessing a single actor play dual leads. Visual effects aside, The Devil’s Double is a fantastic portrayal of Iraq’s turbulent past; expect nods at the Oscars.
This article appears in Sep 15-21, 2011.