Last King of Scotland

Review 1 of 5

Brastacks writes:

4of 4 Stars

This is surely a masterpeice movie.A combination of a good script and beleivable actors makes this movie a smash hit. The visual effect is stunning, and the performance of the two main actors are first class: In fact I am not so sure who really stoled the movie, The African Dictator(sic) or the Scottish doctor.Do not miss this movie! The hallmarks of a great actor are those who can do a change of pace, and Forrest has done so in this movie.This movie has just now come to Europe.

Mar 26, 2007 05:14:07

Review 2 of 5

Messiah91 writes:

3of 4 Stars

All the hype is true, in fact everything you've heard about Forrest Whittaker's portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is true.

In a year bereft of truly inspiring, morally challening, and rivetingly dark work (unlike like last year say, which was gifted with David Croonenberg's absurdly amazing A History of Violence) comes Kevin Macdonald's bloody biopic about Idi Amin's Ugandan regime...albeit not without it's own flaws. The flaws I feel however are crucial to the telling of the story. As adapted from Giles Foden's novel of the same name, the movie tracks an unnamed period of time (during the 70's) in the life of one Scottish doctor, Nicholas Gaffigan (James McAvoy), as he firsts boldy strides into to Africa (perhaps to save it) and then comes under the influence of the charming, savage Amin (Forrest Whittaker) himself. Savage you say? Where the novel was explicit as to the atrocities of Amin's reign, here we get parties and happy black people. And even Amin himself proves to be a warm and silly presence. Thanks to Peter Morgan's script and Whittaker's quicksilver timing, Idi Amin is more of a teddy bear than a gorilla. The potency of the movie then, is taken from his transformation. The movie attempts to convey both Amin's influence globally and his power personally and it fails at both, that's not quite the insult it should be however. As was said in the beginning, every flaw is crucial to the impact of the film.

At first Nicholas is taken in as one of Amin's "closest advisors", their relationship soon takes on the sheen of the unhealthy though. What emerges is a father-son dynamic built eventually more on hate and fascination than any real affection (although Whittaker's "sincerity" will give you chills). As Nicholas becomes more and more involved with Amin, he is completely blinded to the cruelness of him and is eventually complicit in the hundreds of thousands of deaths at the dictator's hands. The best part of the movie is it's ability to convey these two sides of Amin, how his charm was inexorable from his madness.

Reveling in the two wildly differing performances of its stars - McAvoy is completely convincing as the reckless, good-natured, naieve "son" while Whittaker turns in a performance that sets the screen on fire: His bullying, brutish, merciless and protective "father of his country" (by which he means both Nicholas and Uganda simultaneously) is an impassioned portrait of insanity and it's physical incarnations. Bloody and funny aren't perhaps words that would go together well in a movie but they fit together perfectly when describing someone as indescribable and wicked as Amin. The film surrounding him is as happy for his presence as it is sickened by him.

Mar 3, 2007 15:27:15

Review 3 of 5

wineboy writes:

2of 4 Stars

The only truth in this film is found about half way through, when Forrest Whittaker as Idi Amin exclaims "They (foreigners) know how to milk the cow but don't know how to feed it". The scrawny albaster skinned Doctor (McAlvoy)from Scotland takes full advantage of his new found fortune and friend Amin, including above else his wife. He has just milked the cow! So self-centred is this 'Duggie Howser'[sic] of an MD he gets her preggy and chopped up into so many pieces she'd fit into my carryon luggage. Then the bad guys with sunglasses start shown up and all hell breaks loose. They string MD up by his skin but the doc don't scream, this stuns the bad dudes so they step out for some beverages, this gives the good black doctor time to unstring him, give him a shot of B12, wipe his unrecognisable beaten, pulpy face of blood, dawn a sports jacket on him so that he can board the flight home. He walks right past the armed guards whom don't recognise him, the dudes sportin' a new jacket, and boards the aircraft (Ryanair?) back to Scotland. The sun rises as the aircraft rotates up and he smiles, watching as the children play alongside the road. Oh, I forgot..the guy who lent his sports jacket gets a bullet through the head. 'Thanks Mr. MD but you white folk are worth it'. Total dross. I want my money back!

Feb 10, 2007 10:45:29

Review 4 of 5

nutmeg writes:

4of 4 Stars

This movie was amazing.The performances are all oscar worthy and if Forest doesn't get nominated for and oscar it will be very surprising.The movie made you see another side of Idi Amin. It almost made him seem vulnerable and a bit mentally disturbed. This is a must see and a front runner for the oscars.The last king of scotland will move you with it's humor,powerful performances and an attempt to make an awful dictator seem more human.

Nov 24, 2006 06:32:49

Review 5 of 5

MamaNeNe writes:

4of 4 Stars

This movie is riviting!

ROCK on to the Oscar's!!!

Nov 4, 2006 21:54:06