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THE DEVIL'S DOUBLEMovie Reviews
Action drama about the Iraqi army lieutenant ordered to serve as body double to Saddam Hussein's ruthless and sadistic son, Uday. Cast:Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier, Mimoun Oaissa, Philip Quast, Raad RawiDirector:Lee TamahoriRelease Date:July 29, 2011DVD Release:November 21, 2011From:LionsgateRating:RLength:1 hr 48 min
The Devil's Double played in key cities to good reviews. • Michelle Orange wrote for Movieline, "...handsome and occasionally dazzling... ultimately dominated by its style." • And Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "The movie is above all entertaining, if you enjoy human grotesquerie and flamboyant acting. Let's face it: Many of us do." More Reviews Below...
The Devil's Double Positive Reviews (35 Reviews, reviews below)
David Germain, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "What is fascinating, at least fleetingly, is the inside look of Iraq as U.S. forces move in to liberate Kuwait... soon the movie is back to stomach-churning mode."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 576 words, 07/28/11
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "It is disturbing yet fascinating to watch a man so flamboyantly evil, he slays his father's best friend at a party in front of a roomful of guests. Devilishly dark!"(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 74 words, 07/28/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "This is a breakthrough star performance from a terrific actor getting a chance to let it rip.... one hot mess, but the dynamite Cooper makes it work."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 138 words, 07/29/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The movie is above all entertaining, if you enjoy human grotesquerie and flamboyant acting. Let's face it: Many of us do."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 767 words, 08/05/11
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a largely impotent exercise. Despite Cooper's bravura performances, it never rises to the level of tragedy, and finally just peters out, dead-ending in cliché."(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 748 words, 07/27/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...swerves dizzily between fascination and revulsion.... the pleasure of observing Mr. Cooper's performance -- or rather performances -- never diminishes."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 07/29/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Dominic Cooper gives a riveting dual performance... but the movie is a relentless one-note drama that loses its momentum halfway through."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 07/29/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: FAIR "...strives to be an absorbing and suspenseful adventure. Despite numerous pluses, the film is more wearying than entertaining."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 07/29/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...purports to be the story of a man who posed as Uday Hussein's doppelganger. Really it's just a trashy bid to be the 'Scarface' of Mesopotamia."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 254 words, 07/29/11
Logan Hill, New York Magazine: GOOD "...little more than a glitzy, horror-movie showcase for Dominic Cooper's dueling performances. But Cooper puts on one hell of a show..."(See all of Logan Hill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 07/29/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The movie is above all entertaining, if you enjoy human grotesquerie and flamboyant acting. Let's face it: Many of us do."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 767 words, 08/05/11
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "You leave thoroughly convinced that Uday Hussein was a monster. In all likelihood, you entered the movie with the same certainty.... What was the point, exactly?"(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 07/27/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...as lurid as a DayGlo painting and possibly more graphically violent than it needs to be, even if the real-life circumstances were similarly visceral."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 08/05/11
David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "Director Lee Tamahori tries to top off this already long Arab immorality tale with gratuitous swirls of romance and heroism.... Spare us the phony redemption."(See all of David Hiltbrand's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 364 words, 08/05/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...captures the temptations of a life without rules and without limits, and the horrors of the trap a life lived at the whim of a psychopath truly is."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 673 words, 07/30/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Director Lee Tamahori ('Die Another Day') takes this bizarre scenario over the top, and then over the top of the top."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 08/12/11
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The editing trickery that lets Cooper share the screen with himself is seamless, and the actor's performance as Uday is equally impressive... a chilling portrait..."(See all of Kerry Lengel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 08/12/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "She climbs atop him, and they begin to make the sort of bomb-lit love you'd expect to see in a music video from 1988. The entire movie is like this: Extra Crispy MTV."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 883 words, 08/05/11
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...there's a surprising amount of entertainment value.... while the filmmakers don't pay much attention to continuity or logic, they add plenty of little touches."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 08/05/11
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sleek but taut.... the filmmakers have ingeniously presented the real-life horrors wrought on Iraqis by the younger Hussein as akin to a stylized crime movie."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 08/05/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "You leave thoroughly convinced that Uday Hussein was a monster. In all likelihood, you entered the movie with the same certainty.... What was the point, exactly?"(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 07/27/11
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: VERY GOOD(cg) "...kept afloat by Dominic Cooper's fascinating performance.... while the film feels deeply flawed, Cooper is worth the price of admission."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 649 words, 07/26/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...unlike Scarface, this creep does nothing to earn his depravity; he didn't fight for it, nor does he provide any needed service.... has the depth of an 'ET' profile."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 164 words, 08/04/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...isn't deep, or particularly intricate... But it does give us indelible images of Uday's decadence and a double dip of dazzling acting."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 07/29/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...swerves dizzily between fascination and revulsion.... the pleasure of observing Mr. Cooper's performance -- or rather performances -- never diminishes."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 07/29/11
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: GOOD "...rocket-powered... rife with scenery chewing and fast-and-loose revisionism.... Tamahori aims to entertain auds, and he does so with expert attention..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 923 words, 01/23/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...vivid but one-dimensional... Dominic Cooper is really the whole show, although it's too bad the script restrained him from further illuminating Latif's inner self."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 956 words, 01/24/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Aims to be a dazzling, provocative and timely thriller... falls short of its goals due to a weak, narrowly defined scenario, which lacks depth and complexity."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 07/30/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...swerves dizzily between fascination and revulsion.... the pleasure of observing Mr. Cooper's performance -- or rather performances -- never diminishes."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 07/29/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...isn't deep, or particularly intricate... But it does give us indelible images of Uday's decadence and a double dip of dazzling acting."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 07/29/11
18.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Devil's Double's reviews are separated by an average 18.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Devil's Double (35 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Devil's Double's reviews cover 57.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,720 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 478 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 46.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Devil's Double's reviews on average broke 46.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Devil's Double's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Devil's Double (35 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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