The Last King of Scotland

This movie is incredible. Period.

Forrest Whittaker is fucking brilliant, his acting ability could save Gigli if he had been cast in it. I would give long odds that he is the most underrated actor of his profession, and I projected that his portrayal of insane Uganda dictator Idi Amin would be a walk in the park with no real meat, it seemed like such a made-to-fit role for Forrest.

Saying that he takes it to a whole new level isn’t appropriate; he lands it on the moon.

Sharing the screen and an equally commanding presence is James McAvoy, who played Leto II in “Children of Dune”.

James McAvoy plays Dr. Nicholas Garrigan, a fictional character inserted into real historical events. As a young Scottish doctor Garrigan is living a stifling existence under his parents dismal expectations and the yoke of a career destined for nothing. Choosing to reach beyond his familiar he decides to spin a globe & hop a plane to the first country his finger lands on…which turns out to be Uganda, 1969, at the onset of Idi Amin’s regime.

Garrigan is a typical young graduate out of Scotland for the first time, everything is new to him and we see it through his eyes. He behaves as someone from that era would, carefree, little or no sense of responsibility and a large dose of testosterone sans restraint. He casually drifts from one relationship to another with no respect for marital or filial boundaries. What’s important about this is how his character develops later in the flick, and we see him trying to make sense of the world coming down around him while frantically sweeping up the broken pieces of his soul that won’t glue back together as easily…

By way of accident, he comes to the aid of Idi Amin, whom is impressed with the young man’s nerve and passion. Idi charms Garrigan, and convinces him to become the personal physician to the Presidential household. Although Garrigan initially refuses, Amin's Charm wins him over and he agrees to work for him. This charms grows on Garrigan and he soon finds that he is not only Amin's personal physician but also his closest and most trusted personal aide. As the solitary white man on Amin's staff, he enjoys extravagance and privledge while others are ridiculed and punished for imagined crimes. Of course, this can't last long, one way or another...

We are given an intimate look at the everyday Amin, his love for publicity and his need for constant complimentary advice. We are treated to a firsthand view of the dictator-for-life’s fluctuating sanity, and it’s here that Whittaker really shines as he goes from boyishly playful to brutally homicidal in a BLINK. He adds a sense of humanity to the historical image of Amin, building a crescendo of seduction, only to pull that humanity away, and slam the audience into a deafening finale of horror and awe. It’s actually frightening how well Forrest does this, I have seldom seen such ability in an actor. That’s not Forrest Whittaker portraying a historical figure up there, you believe this is Idi Amin. And he scares you in a way that Hannibal Lecter never did. Idi shares some of his past with Dr. Garrigan in a calm, serene setting after one of the most humorous moments in the film, and you almost feel pity for him, despite what his life became. In fact, if this had been an entirely fictitious character, the latter part of the movie would have been unbearably horrifying to watch. As it is, we are stunned even with the foreknowledge of how this must (historically speaking) play out.

There’s lot’s of historical accuracy in the events of the film, most notably the Air France hijacking layover at Entebbe airport. There is intensity in every scene and director Kevin Macdonald doesn’t shortchange a shot or try to scam his audience, the look and feel is Uganda in the 1970’s.

I was going to give you my usual spoilers all the way to the ending, but you know what? This movie is too damn good for me to do that. Take my word for it this movie is a winner hands down, well worth seeing in theatres. I can’t wait for the DVD.