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I’ve been a fan of director Lee Tamahori since I first saw ONCE WERE WARRIORS. I’m a huge fan of THE EDGE as well, which starred Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin and was written by David Mamet. His work on DIE ANOTHER DAY wasn’t Lee at the top of his game, but I have to blame at least some of that on its less-than-stellar script. But heck, even xXx: STATE OF THE UNION (the Ice Cube headlined sequel to Vin Diesel’s xXx) is surprisingly entertaining, and I have to believe Tamahori had something to do with that. His newest effort is THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE, starring Dominic Cooper in a dual role as Uday Hussein and his double Latif Yahia… based on the true story of Uday, which here looks rather similar to SCARFACE. Some of the things I’ve heard about the film don’t bode well, though this is obviously meant to be pretty gritty and rough in its storytelling, and some of the strong negative reactions could be the result of people going in expecting something a little less offensive. Dominic Cooper is someone I’ve been waiting to see spotlighted ever since he popped up in BAND OF BROTHERS a decade ago. Soon we’ll be seeing him as a young Howard Stark, Tony Stark’s dad, in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, and in a starring role in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER. He’s also one of the few recognizable faces in THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE, which looks like a pretty daring showcase piece for the competent actor. Check out the trailer below and poster above, both of which are pretty attention-grabbing. I’m not sure if this is a movie that will be terribly appealing to audiences, but it already makes me think a bit of LORD OF WAR, which I still say is an underrated gem. Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Summoned from the frontline to Saddam Hussein’s palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia is thrust into the highest echelons of the “royal family” when he’s ordered to become the ‘fiday’ — or body double — to Saddam’s son, the notorious “Black Prince” Uday Hussein, a reckless, sadistic party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality. With his and his family’s lives at stake, Latif must surrender his former self forever as he learns to walk, talk and act like Uday. But nothing could have prepared him for the horror of the Black Prince’s psychotic, drug-addled life of fast cars, easy women and impulsive violence. With one wrong move costing him his life, Latif forges an intimate bond with Sarrab, Uday’s seductive mistress who’s haunted by her own secrets. But as war looms with Kuwait and Uday’s depraved gangster regime threatens to destroy them all, Latif realizes that escape from the devil’s den will only come at the highest possible cost.
THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE opens July 29.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
