The Devil's Double

It's well known that Saddam Hussein had body doubles, who he maintained to send in his stead into dangerous situations. At some stage, it is claimed, his son, Uday decided that he would also like to have one, and so recruited Latif Yahia, someone he knew from school who was said to look just like him, as his own. Latif didn't want to do this, for all sorts of reasons, but was forced to, under threat of violence towards himself and his family. Being kept close to Uday in this way, he had a ringside seat for Uday's crimes.

In this film based on these events, both Latif and Uday are played by Dominic Cooper, and it's Cooper's performance that you really want to see the film for. In that Latif is a serious, fair minded man, and Uday is a twitchy, out of control psychopath, with enough personal power to do as he likes. And while not only is this a dual role, but also a role in which one of the roles is of a man impersonating the other man, you are left in no doubt at any time which you're looking at. It's a pretty masterly physical performance.

There are a couple of serious flaws, though. First, it doesn't really ring true. There's a romantic subplot, which doesn't feel right. The portrayal of Uday as an inadequate man, jealous of the upstanding man he's forcing to be his pet is a compelling one, but feels like it might well have been added on. And if you're of a suspicious mind as I am, a quick Wiki seems to suggest that some of the events allegedly witnessed by Latif actually occurred before Latif was recruited. Overall, I just didn't get a ring of truth from the film. Serious questions have been raised as to whether any of it is true, or whether Latif Yahia is just a fantasist.

The reason for cinematic embellishment might well be the second flaw: Uday is of little significance. Now, I would be the last person to suggest that for instance Hitler was anything other than among the worst humans to ever live. But his actions had undeniable historical significance, and resonate today. Hence, a film like Downfall has a purpose. Uday, however, was nothing more than a raping murderer, and remembering his existence serves little purpose other than to remind us the dangers of allowing anyone too much power. The film, then, is just a plotless sequence of grisly acts on his part, with Latif standing mute witness - mute, I suspect, because I couldn't personally think of a thing I'd want to say to Uday other than "Die, you utter arsehole."

So, yes, this is a film that's long on performance, but pretty short on plot, because it's effectively the biopic of a man whose life served no purpose whatsoever, told from the perspective of a man who may well have never really met him.