The Devil's Double (2011)

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.

Director:

Lee Tamahori

Writers:

Michael Thomas, Latif Yahia (books)

Stars:

Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier, Raad Rawi

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dominic Cooper	...	Uday Hussein / Latif Yahia
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Sarrab
Raad Rawi	...	Munem
Philip Quast	...	Saddam Hussein / Faoaz
Mimoun Oaïssa	...	Ali (as Mimoun Oaissa)
Khalid Laith	...	Yassem Al-Helou
Dar Salim	...	Azzam
Nasser Memarzia	...	Latif's Father
Mem Ferda	...	Kamel Hannah
Pano Masti	...	Said
Akin Gazi	...	Saad
Stewart Scudamore	...	Father of School Girl
Amrita Acharia	...	School Girl (as Amrita Acaria)
Elektra Anastasi	...	School Girl 2
Amber Rose Revah	...	Bride

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

lust | betrayal | saddam hussein | palace | debauchery | 

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Taglines:

The 80's were brilliant, if you were in charge.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence and torture, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Belgium]

Country:

Belgium Netherlands

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 2011 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Đavolji dvojnik

Filming Locations:

Grand Hotel Excelsior, Malta

Box Office

Budget:

€15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$96,414 (USA) (29 July 2011)

Gross:

$1,357,042 (USA) (23 September 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corsan, Corrino, Staccato Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A very long list of sources have challenged Yahia's claims, including a former palace guard, one of the Hussein family's surgeons, a CIA officer, and at least two of Uday's confidantes. One of the latter claimed Yahia was nothing more than a lookalike who used his resemblance to pick up women.

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Goofs

In the scene in which Latif's convoy of 3 black Mercedes arrive at a checkpoint (59:00min), bullet holes in the windscreen of the last car in the convey can be seen though its rear window, and can be seen again as the car leaves the checkpoint (59:15min). These holes are not apparent in other shots and it is only later in this scene that the cars come under attack, causing the windscreens to be shot out.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Azzam: [to Latif] Hey.

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Connections

Referenced in True Crime Family (2011)

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Soundtracks

Ensani
Written by Aimad Hassan
Copyright Control
Performed by Rachel Fabri

User Reviews

Dominic Cooper's Performance

I saw this movie not realizing that both leads were being played by one amazing actor!!! Dominic Cooper was exactly that: amazing. And deserving of an Oscar nomination when the time comes for handing them out. My film club was fortunate enough to have an interview with DC via Skype and found him to be as charming as he is talented.

Some seem to find fault with this film because it reminds them of Scarface. I don't get that at all. Perhaps they mean that at times it is operatic, over the top, but it is, after all, a biopic about a crazy man, and to me anyway, the parts of the film that deal with the double offset the high drama perfectly. Highly recommended!