Where do I begin?
As I think back to Lee Tamahori's The Devil's Double several words come to mind. Mesmerizing, stellar, astonishing, intense, scary, impossible. But above all else, one rings truer than true: powerful.
Telling the story of Uday Saddam Hussein's body double, Latif Yahia, the film dives into a life of sex, drugs, violence and egotistical behavior. Sitting here now, I find it hard to fully grasp the overall power that this film generates.
During many scenes things seem a bit too bizarre or made up to be a true account; however, Tamahori actually tones things done from where he could have gone. Instead of showing the violent rape of a pre-teen, he eludes to the fact that it happened. Rather than display the horrific amounts of violence that exsist within the life of Uday, and therefore Latif, he cuts the camera away just in time. In a sense, he rescues us from the horrific nightmare that Latif was forced to live, fearing for his family's safety if he didn't do exactly as he was told.
Dominic Cooper gives two ridiculously impressive performances as both Uday and Latif, often switching between the ruthless madman and disgusted tagalong without the blink of an eye. His delivery was nearly flawless in every scene as he sucks you into the life of his characters, making you feel for them each, in a separate way.
His supporting cast is impressive as well; however, by the end of the film it becomes quite clear, none reach the height of Cooper. I honestly feel that I just watched an early Oscar worthy performance in the form of our leading man, and whichever studio decides to showcase The Devil's Double will have a strong, moving picture worth seeing!
