The Last King of Scotland (2006)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Kevin Macdonald

Writers:

Peter Morgan (screenplay) and
Jeremy Brock (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 January 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Charming. Magnetic. Murderous.

Plot:

Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s

Plot Keywords:

Uganda | 1970s | Doctor | Death | Assassination

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 34 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Forest Whitaker	...	Idi Amin
James McAvoy	...	Dr. Nicholas Garrigan
Kerry Washington	...	Kay Amin
Gillian Anderson	...	Sarah Merrit
Simon McBurney	...	Stone
David Oyelowo	...	Dr. Junju
Stephen Rwangyezi	...	Jonah Wasswa
Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga	...	Masanga (as Abby Mukiibi)
Adam Kotz	...	Dr. Merrit
Sam Okelo	...	Bonny
Sarah Nagayi	...	Tolu
Chris Wilson	...	Perkins
Dr. Dick Stockley	...	Times Journalist
Barbara Rafferty	...	Mrs. Garrigan
David Ashton	...	Dr. Garrigan (senior)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong violence and gruesome images, sexual content and language.

Runtime:

121 min | USA:123 min | Canada:121 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French | German | Swahili

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | South Africa:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Australia:MA | France:-12 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18PL (DVD) | Spain:13 | Japan:R-15 | Brazil:16

Filming Locations:

Kampala, Uganda

Company:

DNA Films

Trivia:

According to Forest Whitaker, he stayed in character as Idi Amin even when he was not on the set.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Amarula liquor bottles shown in the Duty Free shop in the airport couldn't have been there at that time, because this South-African product wasn't marketed until 1989.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Nicholas Garrigan: Come on! Are youse ready?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Forest Whitaker/Keith Urban (#32.13)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Fever

A Hugely Exciting African-Set Thriller

With "The Last King of Scotland," Kevin MacDonald has created a bracing, exciting and totally satisfying thriller.

Forest Whitaker gives a titanic performance as Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator who rose to power in the 1970s. James McAvoy plays Nicholas Garrigan, a Scottish physician who travels to Uganda for the adventure and wins Amin's affections, becoming his personal doctor. Garrigan enters into a moral crisis as he begins to realize the kind of man Amin is, and begins to fear for his own life as events spiral more and more out of his control.

Whitaker seizes the chance to play this larger than life character and runs with it -- I've never seen Whitaker give so convincing and transforming a performance. However, as good as he is, McAvoy impressed me more. His performance as Garrigan is not as showy, but it's much more textured and subtle, and his character has the bigger arc from start to finish. Gillian Anderson also does terrific work in a small role as a fellow doctor, who understands things about Amin and the African culture that Garrigan does not.

Unlike other recent thrillers set in African nations ("The Constant Gardener," "Hotel Rwanda"), "The Last King of Scotland" is not greatly concerned with the geo-political implications of Amin's reign. The atrocities he committed against Ugandans are given only the barest of mentions, and the film sticks almost exclusively to Garrigan and the danger he himself faces. Some may think the film is irresponsible for this reason -- that the plight of one man pales in comparison to the plight of thousands, and I can see where a criticism like that is justified. But the movie packs a powerful wallop regardless, and complaints like this seem like quibbles when up against such an entertaining movie.

Grade: A