Horrible in every way. Horrible actors, pointless scenes, stupid script, dumb story (1 viewing)

In the run up to the 2003 Iraq war, a lot of stories no matter how fanciful were taken at face value. Not much sceptical evaluation took place even from hard bitten journalists. As in the case of Latif Yahia, the man who claimed he was forcibly made to act as the body double to Saddam Hussein's eldest son, Uday.

Nowadays many people discredit Yahia but his outlandish story made it to a feature film giving Dominic Cooper dual roles. He plays the volatile, psychotic sex pest Uday Hussein. As well as Yahia, a soldier recalled from the battlefront and asked to be Uday's double.

When Yahia politely refused, he was tortured until he agreed. Yahia claims he saw up front Uday's role in elite Iraqi society and his abominable behaviour which even embarrassed his father Saddam. This includes killing Saddam's close friend and food taster. Yahia repulsed by Uday knew he had to escape from his impossible position.

Cooper gives a magnetic performance in his two contrasting roles, any decent actor would relish to have such an opportunity.

The problem is the film has nothing more to offer but showing the excesses of Uday's wild, deviant conduct on screen. Prowling the streets of Baghdad to rape school girls, beating and torturing underlings. Behaviour that the film wants to condemn yet decided to explore.

From the disputed book by Latif Yahia, this is his real(?) story of being forced to be Uday Hussein's double. Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) is an army lieutenant. In a world summary executions, he has no choice but acquiesce to being the body double of Uday, son of Saddam Hussein. It is a dangerous chilling world of depraved debauchery and immorality where a simple school girl can be picked up off the street to be violated. He must find a way to escape this life of unreal lavish extravagance.

This is really a fantasy. But a fantasy of the real world needs to be believable. And there are too many unreal scenarios especially the ending. It was just too much to let pass. Otherwise, it's great with Dominic Cooper doing good work.