Uday Hussein (Dominic Cooper), Saddam’s son, forces Latif (also Cooper) to be his double. Latif has to sit by while Uday relishes the violence and hedonism with which he can get away, and then pose as Uday for the more dangerous public appearances.

This is an interesting twist on the crime saga/warlord genre, told through the perspective of an outsider forced to be inside. Latif has no power to stop or even influence Uday. He’s as powerless as the subjects of Iraq.

It’s an awful world, but maybe it’s a little bit better to be inside than on the street. The film strikes a morally acceptable balance between the luxury of being a dictator’s son and the reprehensible lifestyle of those who indulge in it. It’s a pretty unstable world where you never know if you’re partying or ducking for cover.

‘Devil’s Double’ Trailer Contains Twice The Kickassitude

Of course Uday gets it from his father. Director Lee Tamahori handles Uday’s most horrible acts tastefully, but still goes there. There’s a schoolgirl and a bride so you might want to cover your eyes. Uday goes all Joe Pesci on anyone who mouths off to him.

There are a few little action scenes in there. They’re intense beats in the story, believable in the world of a volatile country but also as thrilling as Tamahori’s Bond or XXX action sequences.

The doubling of Cooper is a Winklevoss Twins-worthy effect. Some scenes where they’re both in the frame, I kept wondering, “Is that just a lookalike stand in?” because it was so seamless. Whenever it’s shot/reverse shot, over the shoulder, etc. it’s seamless. And whenever the camera is on Cooper, you know exactly which one he’s playing, always.

The Devil’s Double is a solid thriller that works on its own. The true story aspect only adds a bit of context, since most of us will remember the news coverage of Desert Storm. It’s a tough film, but since that’s the deal, it’s good that it never wusses out.

The above trailer for Lionsgate‘s Th Devil‘s Double kicks some serious ass. Dominic Cooper plays Saddam Hussain’s son Uday, and Latif Yahia, a lookalike he forces to be his body double. The trailer’s like a Whitman’s Sampler of Badassery: gun play, reckless abuse of power, women who will sleep with you for said power, more gun play. There’s also that mustachioed guy George W. Bush didn’t like so much. The film’s been called “Scarface of Arabia,” so if you’re ready to say As-Salamu Alaykum to Uday’s little friend, definitely check out the video.

The Devil‘s Double was directed by Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day) and invades theaters July 29th.

Deadline reports that Kitsch, Hedlund, Dominic Cooper, and Joel Edgerton have all been invited to test for the role. Shia LaBeouf is still up for the part but has not been asked to test. There’s enough footage of him running around all sweaty out there. There’s always a chance that the actor who wins the role will not be one that attends the camera tests, which isn’t very cool at all. We’ve all been asked nicely to be conservative with tape stock since the earthquake in Japan. Burning tape on Garrett Hedlund shows no respect to the rest of us.

The movie will also star Benjamin Walker, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper and Jimmi Simpson. As for a plot synopsis, I think you’ve got pretty much all you need from the title. Abraham Lincoln hunts vampires. If you need anything more than this I’m not sure a website is going to solve your myriad of problems. (via The Playlist)

It’s official: Dominic Cooper will play Howard Stark in the upcoming ‘Captain America‘ film. Although rumors have been circulating about Cooper’s involvement since May, Marvel did not send the official press release until yesterday. It’s kind of like how you know your girlfriend is going to leave you for that guy at the gym, but she hasn’t yet packed up her stuff.

As I wrote in May, Howard Stark is a Howard Hughes-esq inventor and the founder of Stark Industries, the company later inherited by his son Tony (a.k.a. Iron Man). Assuming no one has changed the Wikipedia page from which I grabbed it, that information should still be accurate. (Collider)

First Showing is reporting that Dominic Cooper has has been brought on to play Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man) in the upcoming film, Captain America: The First Avenger. Cooper will play a much younger version of the character than was briefly seen in Iron Man 1 and 2.

According to my vast knowledge base of comic related information (a.k.a. wikipedia), Howard Stark is a millionaire inventor and the founder of Stark Industries, a weapons company that came to prominence during World War II. Like his son Tony, Howard is a brilliant but flawed character who battles with alcoholism.

The character of Howard Stark is supposedly based on eccentric aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. I’m assuming that Cooper has already begun hording jars of his own precious urine in order to get into character.