The Devil’s Double (2011)
Certified: 18
Duration: 108 minutes
Directed by: Lee Tamahori
Starring: Dominic Cooper, Philip Quast, Ludivine Sagnier, Latif Yahia, Raad Rawi, Mem Ferda, Dar Salim, Khalid Laith, Pano Masti, Nasser Memarzia
KRS release

The Devil’s Double will be of particular interest to Maltese cinephiles for a number of reasons: It is one of the few films that was shot in Malta where Maltese locations doubled for both a foreign country (Iraq in this case) and for Malta itself; a large number of Maltese faces appear among the cast and the end credits feature many familiar names. Besides, James Bond director Lee Tamahori has delivered a flashy, entertaining and insightful picture based on the book of the same name by Latif Yahia.

The Devil’s Double is set in late 1980s Iraq. Dominic Cooper plays two roles: Latif Yahia, an officer in the Iraqi army, and Uday Hussein, the son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (Philip Quast). Latif is brought to Uday’s attention and is forced to become his body double. Latif hates Uday even though the two have known each other since they were school kids. Threatened that his family will suffer the consequences if he does not accept the proposal, Latif becomes Uday’s double.

Uday’s change in appearance involves the use of false teeth, plastic surgery and a lot of coaching. For Latif this means living a life of luxury with his choice of women. That is, except for the mysterious and exotic Sarrab (Ludvine Sagnier) who is Uday’s preferred lover.

However, Latif is disgusted by Uday’s excessive lifestyle. Meanwhile, Uday lives like a gangster: women, parties, drugs and kidnapping and raping of schoolgirls. The latter becomes more and more unstable and the friction between him and Latif increases. Even Saddam is not happy with his son’s behaviour. As Latif impersonates Uday, his situation becomes more and more dangerous and as the Gulf War progresses, the tension increases until breaking point.

The Devil’s Double makes extensive and very good use of Maltese locations with Iraq seemingly coming to life in areas that are so familiar to us. Strangely enough, it is the sequence in which Malta is being used for Malta that seems a bit off. This involves a shooting in Valletta and a visit to a police station which all seemed to be a bit out of touch with the rest of the film. These and the “escape on horseback into the sunset” sequence are the film’s low points.

This heady mix of Scarface mixed with House of Saddam is pure popcorn entertainment. Dominic Cooper is over-the-top as Uday Hussein, lusting after every schoolgirl that catches his attention, and restrained as Latif who tries not to give in to the drug-addled son of Iraq’s leader. It is very interesting to watch Mr Cooper as he shifts from one role to another in an almost effortless fashion. From the start it is obvious that his Latif will be attracted to Sarrab (Ludivine Sagnier) the one woman he cannot touch. The chemistry between Dominic Cooper and Ms Sagnier is quite in synch in both guises.

Local faces that stand out are Elektra Anastasi as schoolgirl number 2, Marcelle Theuma as Latif’s mother and Frida Cauchi as Sajida among others.

The Devil’s Double at one point presents a look at Saddam Hussein and his double which strikes quite a contrast with the partnership between Latif and Uday. Lee Tamahori does not flinch from presenting his audience with the dark side of Uday’s excesses: disemboweling an old man, torture and the aftermaths of rape. It’s like entering a dark tunnel with Uday as a guide. Mr Tamahori’s touch is both insightful and yet titillating at the same time. This gives the film a sometimes uneven feel to it but we are never given the time to ponder about this as we are enveloped by the pompous and glorious environment of Saddam’s palace. The dark side of power is presented here in all its glory.