It's easy to dismiss Dominic Cooper because he's not a leading man very often. He's a side character, usually one that's not quite good or bad. Here, he not only anchors the entire movie with presence, he also manages to play two roles completely. You know it's the same guy playing Uday and Latif but their personalities are so different, it feels like you're watching two different people. I can think of no finer praise for an actor.Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) has the misfortune to closely resemble Uday (Dominic Cooper), the psychotic son of Saddam Hussein (Phillip Quast) and is press-ganged into becoming his body double. He is catapulted into a life of extreme wealth and extravagance, but knows that he walks on the knife's-edge of death, whether by assassins or Uday himself. The man is dangerously unstable and violently possessive.
This was much better than I had thought it was going to be. Seeing as I spent about six months in Iraq, I am very familiar with the persons depicted. It added an extra level of depth to watching it, but don't think you need a crash course in the Hussein biography to enjoy it. They don't shy away from violence or bloodshed, so you should be aware of that when you see it.
I don't know if I'll put it on my list to buy. I might have to give it some time to sink in first but I definitely recommend it.
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