Pros: Whitaker's outstanding performance.
Cons: Very few; could have been longer and more engaging.
The Bottom Line: Be prepared, The Last King of Scotland is a hard film to watch, much like Amin’s brutal reign was hard to comprehend and watch unfold on 1970’s era television.
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie''s plot. When I was a teenager Idi Amin Dada, Uganda's late, not-so-great dictator, and all around madman, loomed large in my life, not only because the man was a constant fixture in the late ‘70's, but also because his regime was one of the first international political intrigues I remember following with any interest. Little was known and or written about the man, and he was almost totally eased from my mind until 2006's The Last King of Scotland, staring Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy was released and memories of that period came rushing back like acid reflux.
A funny, and dare I say weird name for a movie dealing with an African tyrant until one remembers-or first learns, whatever the case may be-that Uganda was once a British territory and Amin admired the Scottish greatly for their own struggle to throw off the yoke of British rule. At one point in the movie Whitaker's Amin states that if he could be anything other than Ugandan, it would be Scottish. Was he serious or delusional? who knows, but the association obviously stuck.
The Story
Directed by Kevin MacDonald The Last King of Scotland is based on the 1998 novel by the same name written by English journalist Giles Foden. The novel is an intertwining of historical fact and fiction, and the stories main protagonist, a young Scottish doctor named Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy - Shameless, State of Play, Early Doors) is a fictional character said to be based loosely on a British soldier who was close to Amin.
In the movie as in the novel Garrigan, looking for adventure journeys to Uganda by chance just as Amin (Whitaker) is coming to power. Chance and circumstance brings Garrigan and Amin together and a friendship develops in which Garrigan becomes one of Amin's closest advisors, as well as the family doctor. It is in this later capacity that Garrigan meets and then subsequently (stupidly) has an affair with one of Amin's many wives, one Kay Amin (Kerry Washington - She Hate Me, Ray, Fantastic Four). Amin finds out after the woman gets pregnant with Garrigan's child and seeks an abortion at a local village only to be dismembered. Things don't go too well for Garrigan after this point.
My Thoughts
The Last King of Scotland is brilliantly acted by Forest Whitaker; indeed it is probably his best performance since 1992's The Crying Game. Whitaker is one of those actors that go largely unnoticed by the glitter machine that is Hollywood, but who consistently turn in Oscar worthy performances. And indeed Whitaker took home the gold statue for his performance in The Last King of Scotland. He became one of only four Black American men to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, following in the footsteps of Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field - 1963), Denzel Washington (Training Day -2001), and Jamie Foxx (Ray - 2005). Whitaker also won a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award for his portrayal of Idi Amin Dada.
Whitaker does an extraordinary job as Amin portraying the man's many moods in a brilliant performance that never once does he go over the top. Whitaker's portrays Amin as a man with a sense of humor, a sometimes vulnerable, tender, and oft unfathomable man, but Whitaker never lets us forget that Amin was a maniacal monster. Whitaker embodies the role, channeling Amin and not merely acting a part, much like Helen Mirren's superb performance as the regal Elizabeth in The Queen, and Denzel Washington's equally stunning performance in Malcolm X.
James McAvoy, a virtual unknown outside of Great Britain, also turned in a laudable performance as the narcissistic, naïve young doctor who dived in way over his young, foolish, idealistic head and paid a heavy price.
And the always beautiful Kerry Washington seemed right at home in her Ugandan garb as the young forgotten and lonely wife of Amin who foolishly takes Garrigan to her bed and womb.
Be prepared, The Last King of Scotland is a hard film to watch, much like Amin's brutal reign was hard to comprehend and watch unfold on 1970's era television. The Last King is rolling commentary on the many complex and complicated layers of the human mind and soul; it is a cautionary tale on the terrible dangers of self-absorption, of manipulation, of betrayal, and of the lasting legacy of the European occupation and rape of Africa and her diverse peoples.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age
