'House of Saddam' review

Forget Tony Soprano—a new HBO miniseries explores the workings of a real life dictator

By Amir Kenan

Posted December 3, 2008

Metromix

Until Saddam Hussein's two wives come out with autobiographies detailing their experiences with the dictator from 1979 through his execution in 2006, we won't know what really happened behind closed doors. But, thanks to the dramatic imagination of director Alex Holmes and HBO, Saddam Hussein (Yigal Naor) and his inner circle become more than mustachioed bad guys.

The four-episode miniseries follows Hussein's rise and fall within Iraq, and mixes in actual news footage with the fictionalized account. It begins by taking us back to 1979 when, at his daughter Hala's 7th birthday party, Hussein orchestrates a hostile, but nonviolent, takeover of the Iraq Presidency by forcing its current president, Al-Bakr, to resign. The nonviolent actions don't last long though, as Hussein quickly initiates the slaying of Ba'athist Party members and murders his best friend to prove his ruthlessness. And that's just in the first 20 minutes...

The buzz: Not only do we see the first and second Gulf Wars—and other key moment in Iraq's history—from Hussein's POV, but we're also witness to his manipulative nature, the impact of his hedonistic actions and his difficulty in dealing with the brutal, unpredictable actions of brother Uday (Philip Arditti).

The verdict: If the intent of this series is to show that Hussein was human (if inhumane), it succeeds.

Did you know? It was Hussein’s second wife, Samira Shahbandar, who may have been responsible for his capture. Ouchies!

"House of Saddam" premieres Sunday, Dec. 7, at 9 p.m. on HBO.