The Last King Of Scotland Reviews

Hype

Though this was hardly the worst film I have seen this year it was somewhat of an anticlimax. I can only assume that the masses have once more followed like sheep instead of using their own minds.

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[Highly rated reviewer]

Last King of Scotland

The basic setup is true. The Last King of Scotland presents an honest portrayal of the brutal regime of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and the story runs into many real events, finishing up at the Entebbe hostage crisis. However the basis for the thrust of the storyline is pure fiction, based on the novel of the same name by Giles Foden.

It follows Dr Nicholas Garrigan (McAvoy) a newly qualified young Glaswegian who goes to Uganda having randomly selected it on a globe. He arrives just as Amin is seizing power and, by coincidence, ends up treating a minor injury for the dictator. This leads to Amin taking Garrigan on as his personal physician. As the situation in Uganda worsens and people start vanishing Garrigan only climbs higher in the government even as his romantic entanglements with Amin’s young wife (Washington) become deeply dangerous.

A film like this lives or dies by one thing: the lead; get the portrayal of Amin right and half the battle is won. Amazingly Forest Whittaker was not Kevin MacDonald’s initial choice for the role but he channels Amin brilliantly. The single-minded dedication Whittaker showed to the role (he learnt Swahili and stayed in character throughout the shoot, on set and off) really comes through on screen. He invests a role that could merely have been monstrous with great charm and a sense of fun. This is vital because it allows us to be taken in with Garrigan, we understand him wanting to be around Amin because we do too. However when the monster is loose Whittaker controls him, managing to be scary without being pantomimic. Whittaker will be nominated for an Oscar and he’ll probably win, quite deservingly.

James McAvoy has been quietly building a strong career for himself. The TV series Shameless and a small role in Wimbledon showed him to be a versatile talent but with the recent Starter For 10 and now Last King of Scotland he’s a movie star; signed, sealed, delivered. Garrigan is not by any means sympathetic, he’s wilfully ignorant of the atrocities Amin perpetrates and shows himself as an immoral opportunist at almost every turn, and yet McAvoy makes you care about him. It’s only because of McAvoy’s performance that the film’s late and rather abrupt turn into thriller territory works.

It’s also worth mentioning a small role for Gillian Anderson, whose post X-Files career continues to show that she’s an impressive talent, capable of more than The X Files ever really let her show. Here she is affecting as the wife of the Doctor that Garrigan works for on his arrival in Uganda and she generates a connection with McAvoy that makes you pine for her later in the film.

MacDonald’s direction has the urgency and immediacy you might expect of a documentarian (witness the attempt on Amin’s life in the middle of the film) but his storytelling isn’t as well honed yet. He’s unable to generate much connection between McAvoy and Kerry Washington’s character and this undermines an already slightly shaky setup for the last act. However once we get to Entebbe and are back in the thick of things the film gets right back on track.

Without the 15-minute wobble that is the rather contrived relationship between Garrigan and Kay Amin (Washington, trying hard, but given little to work with) this would be truly top class stuff. Some audiences may be put off by the subject matter and though the massacres that Amin sanctioned are only hinted at there is some quite nasty violence and a deeply uncomfortable torture sequence that really earns the 15 certificate. However The Last King of Scotland remains an excellent film, one that demands to be seen if only for the two towering performances at its centre.

Unmissable

Forest Whitaker is simply superb as the unpredictable and murderous Idi Amin, and James McAvoy is equally as compelling as the young, naive Scottish doctor who seeks adventure in Uganda believing he can make a difference. The two meet by chance and Amin persuades the doctor to move into palatial surroundings as his personal physician and adviser. Forest Whitaker plays every scene with just the right amount of tension - is he going to react with anger or good humour? The doctor enjoys his new life of luxury but he is completely out of his depth when it comes to political machinations, and when he stupidly begins an affair with one of Amin's wives he risks the full force of a vengeful dictator. It's a great film throughout - don't miss it!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Road to Hell

This is a very good film showing how a series of wrong turns can lead a man into something very bad. A young Scottish doctor travels to Uganda to help at a medical mission but the lusty Scot is morally weak and soon abandons the mission for a life of power and pleasure as Idi Amin’s personal doctor in Kampala. By turns, the doctor becomes more and more deeply embroiled into Amin’s murderous regime.

Forest Whitaker’s performance as Amin has been widely praised (winning a Golden Globe for Best Actor) and rightly so: he was brilliant. However, perhaps he was too much the likeable clown. I don’t think the atmosphere of the mad dictator’s frightening and oppressive regime is portrayed particularly strongly (apart from the horrific murder of Amin’s adulterous wife). Well-known events, such as the Asian expulsions and the Entebbe highjack, seemed to be conspicuously placed to give the film an air of historic authenticity for western audiences.

At the end of the film, the stoic way that the previously weak and hedonistic doctor faced torture and death was very courageous and admirable, but was not entirely convincing. Neither was his salvation to warn the world of Amin’s excesses: just a good way of ‘wrapping up’ the film. Nevertheless, this is a well-told salutary story.

Incredible Authentic

Having been to that part of Africa myself, the first thing that hit me was the authenticity of not only the landscape, but in the acting of a very impressive Forest Whitaker! He captures the mixed personalities of Amin very well, while also hitting the Ugandan accent and speech structure right on the head! Well done Forest!

The story moves at a good pace, not to quick so you keep up with the plot, but not too slow to get bored, and thankfully the film is not too long, because although this is excellent in every way, it is also very sad, and difficult to watch in places. However in my opinion, it needs to be, because as brillant as this film is, it is not a happy story.

If you liked The Constant Gardener, Hotel Rwanda and Shooting Dogs, you'll like this!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Thistle go down as a great movie....

Forrest Whittaker is immense in this, surely worthy of an Oscar, there is no other way to describe it. The switches of mood and the way he brings Idi Amin over is absolutely, horrifically, disturbing. The quirks and foibles of Amin's neurotic behaviour really have an effect when you watch this. As real as it is, profiling a modern dictator brought to power with the help of the British only then to become neurotic and turn against the hand that once fed him. As a pure stand alone drama film, it is excellent. A downside... there isn't really one, James McAvoy was good, though not what I expected, I thoroughly enjoy McAvoy in everything I see him in. Also nice to see X-Files Gillian Anderson play ing a role as a doctors wife and a bit of love interest. All in all I wanted to use the loo half way through - but couldn't peel myself away, i didn't want to miss any of this, it's is a definate must see film.

Award winner

This is a classy fantastically well acted film, which keeps you gripped from the beginning. Brings a real feel for 1970s Uganda and the two sides of the dictator Idi Amin as seen through a young scottish doctor. Really powerful.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Not as straightforward as one might imagine.

A fine depiction of what can happen when someone tries to 'play the white man' in Africa. Forest Whitaker is convincing as Amin. James McAvoy is excellent too. At times I thought it would lose its way morally. It doesn't. Full marks.

AMIN to watch this again!

This film is phenomenal! I left the cinema shaking, im not sure id say i enjoyed it but it certainly moved me!!! Im the first to admit i know nothing about Amin or what he did, but i think that helped because i had no preconceptions about what was going to happen. Forrest Whittaker is really scary in this! He manages to jump from one personality to the other in an instant, meaning you never know what his next move is going to be. I absolutely loved this film, my only criticism would be the staring-you-in-the-face love interest. If you like a gripping close to life story, then this is for you. If horror films are not your thing stay clear. This is brutal and does not even have the comfort of bein fictional.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Fascinating insight.

I actually remember Idi Amin - or at least what I saw on the news when I was a child. This insight into his life and personality was quite fascinating. His way of winning people over to begin with, then as reality sinks in the look at the other side of his character. The movie gives us a look at life in Uganda during Amin's rule. The acting is superb without being over the top or too in your face. Forest Whittaker especially gave a memorable performance. One of the 'must see' movies of recent years.