Dominic Cooper pulls double duty in ‘The Devil’s Double’

Dominic Cooper, a young British actor who appeared in this summer’s Captain America: The First Avenger, has generally come in under the radar on the Hollywood scene. His roles throughout the years have been solid, but supporting. With the release of The Devil’s Double, where he plays two impressively difficult parts, the actor stands to gain some much-deserved attention among audiences.

Detailing the unbelievably revolting actions of Uday Hussein, Saddam Hussein’s sadistic son, The Devil’s Double plays like a guidebook on how one shouldn’t live their life. Uday, as portrayed by Cooper, is a malevolent man with a penchant for murder, rape, torture and brainwashing. Picking schoolgirls off the street and asking his friends to disrobe at a nightclub seem to be the rule of the day. Cross him and there’s a good chance you’ll end up dead (or worse).

Cooper plays Uday with a bumbling villainy. His buckteeth and squeaky voice help portray him as a pathetic, yet powerful, sadist. Acting the part likely kept Cooper drained and fulfilled. The fact that he also plays Latif Yahia, Uday’s body double, is an enormous achievement. While simultaneously depicting one of Iraq’s most infamous bad guys, Cooper also humanizes the man who would often fill in for Uday on official (and sometimes personal) business. If there could be an award for “Best Leading and Supporting Actor,” Cooper would be a shoe-in.

Both roles offer ample opportunities for the young British actor to showcase his talents. Uday is the flashier part, while Latif is more contemplative and peaceful. Together they make for a double-sided character of almost Shakespearean depth; although I hesitate to use the Bard’s name in the same breath as Saddam’s son.

Ludivine Sagnier, of 8 Women and Swimming Pool, plays Sarrab, Uday’s favorite lover and the one person that Latif is ordered to stay away from. This being a movie, Sarrab and Latif eventually prove inseparable and the consequences are dire.

Director Lee Tamahori gives the movie a slick look and suspenseful feel. It’s almost as if Uday’s exploits during the height of the Gulf War are ready-made for Hollywood. Montages of gorgeous girls, big guns, flashy cars are coupled with the reality of the situation: This man was believed to be the worst of the worst, a person so vile that even Saddam Hussein regretted having him as a son. If the stories are even fractionally true, Uday was beyond cinematic characterization. The fact that the movie somehow brings him to life is an honorable distinction.

Cooper is the main draw of the film. Without his two performances much of The Devil’s Double would lose its effectiveness. Because the actor gets so lost in his roles, the movie becomes almost like an uncomfortable documentary, willing the audience to look closer at the evil in this man. Simultaneously, Latif comes off not as heroic, but like a victim. If he dared to object, then his family would feel the harsh repercussions of Uday’s wrath.

There are some lessons to be learned from watching The Devil’s Double, though recreating some of the nastiness of Uday’s behavior feels unnecessary. History has been tasked with the unenviable responsibility of never forgetting what came before. But for modern-day audiences, watching the real-life treacherousness of a man with no boundaries feels almost exploitative. The Devil’s Double is not an easy movie to sit through, which is probably the most truthful way of bringing Uday’s story to life.

For a vivid, unrelenting and deeply unsettling view of what happened in the palaces of Iraq two decades ago, The Devil’s Double provides an uneasy firsthand account.

• The Devil’s Double

• 2011

• Directed by Lee Tamahori

• Written by Michael Thomas, based on the book by Latif Yahia

• Starring Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier and Dominic Cooper (who deserves double billing)

• Running time: 109 minutes

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

• Rating:

• Click here to purchase The Devil’s Double on DVD.

• Click here to purchase The Devil’s Double by Latif Yahia.