The Last King of Scotland ( film ) - wikipedia The Last King of Scotland ( film ) Not to be confused with The Last King ( film ). The Last King of Scotland UK theatrical release poster Directed by Kevin Macdonald Produced by Charles Steel Lisa Bryer Andrea Calderwood Screenplay by Jeremy Brock Peter Morgan Based on The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden Starring Forest Whitaker James McAvoy Kerry Washington Simon McBurney Gillian Anderson Music by Alex Heffes Cinematography Anthony Dod Mantle Edited by Justine Wright Production company DNA Films Film 4 Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures Release date 27 September 2006 ( 2006 - 09 - 27 ) ( United States ) 12 January 2007 ( 2007 - 01 - 12 ) ( United Kingdom ) Running time 123 minutes Country United Kingdom Germany Language English Swahili Budget $6 million Box office $48.4 million The Last King of Scotland is a 2006 historical drama film based on Giles Foden 's novel The Last King of Scotland ( 1998 ), adapted by screenwriters Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock, and directed by Kevin Macdonald. The film was a co-production between companies from the United Kingdom and Germany. The film tells the fictional story of Nicholas Garrigan ( James McAvoy ), a young Scottish doctor who travels to Uganda and becomes the personal physician of President Idi Amin ( Forest Whitaker ). The film is based on events of Amin 's rule, and the title comes from a reporter in a press conference who wishes to verify whether Amin, who was known to adopt fanciful imperial titles for himself, declared himself the King of Scotland. The film has an approval rating of 87 % at Rotten Tomatoes, and Whitaker won Best Actor at the 2006 Academy Awards, among other accolades. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Release 4 Reception 4.1 Critical response 4.2 Accolades 5 Historical accuracy 6 References 7 External links Plot In 1970, Nicholas Garrigan graduates from medical school at the University of Edinburgh. With dull prospects at home, he decides to seek adventure abroad by working at a Ugandan missionary clinic run by Dr. David Merrit and his wife, Sarah. Garrigan becomes attracted to Sarah, who enjoys the attention, but refuses to engage in an extramarital affair. Meanwhile, General Idi Amin overthrows incumbent president Milton Obote in a coup d'état. Garrigan sincerely believes Amin will help the country, while Sarah warns him of presidents who have taken over before. Garrigan is called to a minor car accident where he treats Amin 's hand. During the incident, Garrigan takes a gun and shoots a mortally wounded cow because no one else has the presence of mind to put it out of its misery. Amin is impressed by his quick action and initiative. Amin, fond of Scotland as a symbol of resilience and admiring of the Scottish people for their resistance to the English, is delighted to discover Garrigan 's nationality and exchanges his military shirt for Garrigan 's Scotland shirt. Later, Amin invites Garrigan to become his personal physician and take charge of modernising the country 's health care system. Garrigan soon becomes Amin 's trusted confidant and is relied on for much more than medical care, such as matters of state. Although Garrigan is aware of violence around Kampala, he accepts Amin 's explanation that cracking down on the opposition will bring lasting peace to the country. Garrigan discovers that the polygamous leader has ostracised the youngest of his three wives, Kay, because she has given birth to an epileptic son, Mackenzie. When treating Mackenzie, Garrigan and Kay form a relationship and sleep with each other, but Kay tells him he must find a way to leave Uganda. Eventually, Garrigan begins to lose faith in Amin as he witnesses the increasing paranoia, murders, and xenophobia. Amin replaces Garrigan 's British passport with a Ugandan one to prevent him from escaping, which leads Garrigan to frantically seek help from Stone, the local British Foreign Office representative. Garrigan is told the British will help him leave Uganda if he uses his position to assassinate Amin, but Garrigan refuses. Kay informs Garrigan that she has become pregnant with his child. Aware that Amin will murder her for infidelity if he discovers this, she begs Garrigan for a secret abortion. Delayed by Amin 's command that he attend a press conference with Western journalists, Garrigan fails to meet Kay at the appointed time. She concludes she has been abandoned and seeks out a primitive abortion in a nearby village, where she is apprehended by Amin 's forces. Garrigan finds her dismembered corpse on an autopsy table and falls retching to his knees, finally confronting the inhumanity of Amin 's regime and decides killing him will end it all. A hijacked aircraft is flown to Entebbe by pro-Palestinian hijackers seeking asylum. Amin, sensing a major publicity opportunity, rushes to the scene, taking Garrigan along. At the airport, one of Amin 's bodyguards discovers Garrigan 's plot to poison Amin under the ruse of giving him pills for a headache. Garrigan is beaten by Amin 's henchmen before Amin arrives and discloses he is aware of the relationship with Kay. As punishment, Garrigan 's chest is pierced with meat hooks before he is hanged by his skin. Amin arranges a plane for the release of non-Israeli passengers, and the torturers leave Garrigan unconscious on the floor while they relax in another room. Garrigan 's medical colleague, Dr. Junju, takes advantage of the opportunity to rescue him. He urges Garrigan to tell the world the truth about Amin 's regime, asserting that the world will believe Garrigan because he is white. Junju gives Garrigan his own jacket, enabling him to mingle unnoticed with the crowd of freed hostages and board the plane. When the torturers discover Garrigan 's absence, Junju is killed for aiding in the escape. Amin is informed too late to prevent it, while Garrigan tearfully remembers the people of Uganda. Cast Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin James McAvoy as Nicholas Garrigan Kerry Washington as Kay Amin Gillian Anderson as Sarah Merrit Simon McBurney as Stone David Oyelowo as Dr. Junju Apollo Okwenje Omamo as Mackenzie Shabir Mir as Zumba Cleopatra Koheirwe as Joy Release The Last King of Scotland received a limited release in the United States on 27 September 2006, a UK release on 12 January 2007, a French release on 14 February 2007, and a German release on 15 March 2007. In the United States and Canada, the film earned $17,606,684 at the box office. In the United Kingdom, the film took $11,131,918. Its combined worldwide gross was $48,362,207. Reception Critical response The Last King of Scotland has an approval rating of 87 % on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 183 reviews, with an average score of 7.3 out of 10. The website 's critical consensus states : `` Forest Whitaker 's performance as real - life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption ''. At Metacritic, the film has a score of 74 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating `` generally favorable reviews ''. Accolades Academy Awards record Best Actor ( Forest Whitaker ) Golden Globe Awards record Best Actor - Drama ( Forest Whitaker ) BAFTA Awards record Best British Film Best Actor ( Forest Whitaker ) Best Adapted Screenplay Whitaker won in the best leading actor category at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the BAFTAs. In addition, Whitaker also won awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics ' Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics ' Association, the National Board of Review and many other critics awards, for a total of at least 23 major awards, with at least one more nomination. The film received a 2007 BAFTA Award for Best British Film and the BAFTA award for Best Adapted Screenplay, in addition to receiving nominations for Best Film. McAvoy was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The film was received well in Uganda, where it premiered two days before Whitaker won the Best Actor Academy Award. Historical accuracy While the character of Idi Amin and the events surrounding him in the film are mostly based on fact, Garrigan is a fictional character. Foden has acknowledged that one real - life figure who contributed to the character Garrigan was English - born Bob Astles, who worked with Amin. Another real - life figure who has been mentioned in connection with Garrigan is Scottish doctor Wilson Carswell. Like the novel on which it is based, the film mixes fiction with real events in Ugandan history to give an impression of Amin and Uganda under his rule. While the basic events of Amin 's life are followed, the film often departs from actual history in the details of particular events. In real life and in the book, Kay Amin was impregnated by her lover Dr. Mbalu Mukasa. She died during a botched abortion operation performed by Mukasa, who subsequently committed suicide. Bob Astles said in a lengthy interview with the journalist Paul Vallely in The Times that her body was dismembered by her lover so it could be hidden and was then sewn back together on Amin 's orders. Amin never had a son named Campbell. Contrary to the wording of the film 's coda stating `` 48 hours later, Israeli Forces stormed Entebbe and liberated all but one of the hostages '', three hostages died during Operation Entebbe. The body of a fourth hostage, 75 - year - old Dora Bloch, who was killed by Ugandan Army officers at a nearby hospital in retaliation for Israel 's actions, was eventually returned to Israel. Some historians believe the film and its depiction of Amin are comparable with the Shakespearean character Macbeth. According to Foden, adapting the titular character from Macbeth as a Third World dictator is plausible. References Jump up ^ `` THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND ( 15 ) ''. British Board of Film Classification. 12 September 2006. Retrieved 22 April 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` The Last King of Scotland ''. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved August 26, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` The Last King of Scotland ( 2006 ) - Box Office Mojo ''. boxofficemojo.com. Jump up ^ Last King of Scotland. Box Office Mojo. Jump up ^ The Last King of Scotland ( 2006 ). Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 27 February 2018. Jump up ^ The Last King of Scotland Reviews. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 27 February 2018. Jump up ^ Sarah Grainger ( 18 February 2007 ). `` Ugandan premiere for Last King '', BBC, Accessed 23 May 2008. Jump up ^ `` An Interview with Giles Foden ''. Random House. Retrieved 13 October 2014. Jump up ^ Pells, Rachael ( 10 October 2014 ). `` Douglas Carswell profile ''. independent.com. Retrieved 13 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` '' The myths surrounding Idi Amin. `` ''. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2007. Daily Monitor, accessed 12 December 2009. Jump up ^ `` Interview with Paul Vallely ''. The Times. Jump up ^ `` Body of Amin Victim Is Flown Back to Israel ''. The New York Times. 4 June 1979. p. A3. Jump up ^ Foden, Gil ( 2 September 2004 ). `` The African Play ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2014. External links The Last King of Scotland at Box Office Mojo The Last King of Scotland on IMDb The Last King of Scotland at Metacritic The Last King of Scotland at Rotten Tomatoes William Shakespeare 's Macbeth Characters Macbeth Lady Macbeth Banquo Macduff King Duncan Malcolm Donalbain Three Witches Fleance Lady Macduff Macduff 's son Third Murderer Young Siward Inspirations Macbeth, King of Scotland Gruoch of Scotland Duncan I of Scotland Malcolm III of Scotland Donald III of Scotland Siward, Earl of Northumbria King James VI and I Sources Daemonologie ( 1597 ) The Witch ( play ) Holinshed 's Chronicles Darraðarljóð Film 1908 1909 ( French ) 1909 ( Italian ) 1911 1913 1915 1916 1922 1948 1971 2006 2015 Cancelled ( Olivier ) Television 1954 1960 US TV 1960 Australian TV 1961 1979 1982 2005 TV / film adaptations The Real Thing at Last ( 1916 ) Marmayogi ( 1951 ) Joe MacBeth ( 1955 ) Throne of Blood ( 1957 ) Macbeth ( Verdi opera ) ( 1987 ) Men of Respect ( 1990 ) Scotland, PA ( 2001 ) Makibefo ( 2001 ) Maqbool ( 2003 ) Shakespeare Must Die ( 2012 ) Veeram ( 2016 ) Plays Voodoo Macbeth ( 1936 ) MacBird ! ( 1967 ) uMabatha ( 1970 ) Macbett ( 1972 ) Cahoot 's Macbeth ( 1979 ) MacHomer ( 1995 ) Sleep No More ( 2003 ) Sleep No More ( 2009 ) Dunsinane ( 2010 ) Sleep No More ( 2011 ) Just Macbeth ! Operas Macbeth ( 1847, Verdi ) discography Macbeth ( 1910, Bloch ) Literary adaptations Wyrd Sisters ( 1988 ) The Last King of Scotland ( 1998 ) The Tragedy of Macbeth Part II ( 2008 ) Albums Music from Macbeth ( 1972 ) Macbeth ( 1990 ) Thane to the Throne ( 2000 ) Shakespeare 's Macbeth -- A Tragedy in Steel ( 2003 ) Lady Macbeth ( 2005 ) Art Pity ( 1795 ) The Night of Enitharmon 's Joy ( 1795 ) Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth ( 1889 ) Lady Macbeth ( 1905 sculpture ) Scenes and speeches `` On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth '' ( 1823 ) Sleepwalking Scene ( 5.1 ) `` Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow '' Words and phrases `` What 's done is done '' `` Crack of doom '' `` Strange but true '' The Scottish Play Thane of Cawdor Story within a story We Work Again Light Thickens The Deadly Affair `` The Movies '' `` Sleeping with the Enemy '' `` The Shower Principle '' Mécanisme de la physionomie humaine The Scottish Play Burke & Hare Episodes `` A Witch 's Tangled Hare '' ( 1959, Looney Tunes ) `` The Bellero Shield '' ( 1964, The Outer Limits ) `` Sense and Senility '' ( 1987, Blackadder the Third ) `` The Coup '' ( 2006, The Office ) `` Dial `` N '' for Nerder '' ( 2008, The Simpsons ) `` Four Great Women and a Manicure '' ( 2009, The Simpsons ) `` The Understudy '' ( 2014, Inside No. 9 ) Other Macbeth ( Strauss ) The Scottish Play Piano Trios, Op. 70 ( Beethoven ) The Ruins of Cawdor House of Cards ( UK, 1990 ) House of Cards ( US, 2013 -- present ) Films directed by Kevin Macdonald One Day in September ( 1999 ) Being Mick ( 2001 ) Touching the Void ( 2003 ) The Last King of Scotland ( 2006 ) My Enemy 's Enemy ( 2007 ) State of Play ( 2009 ) The Eagle ( 2011 ) Life in a Day ( 2011 ) Marley ( 2012 ) How I Live Now ( 2013 ) Black Sea ( 2014 ) Sky Ladder : The Art of Cai Guo - Qiang ( 2016 ) Whitney ( 2018 ) Works by Peter Morgan Television The Jury ( 2002, 2011 ) The Deal ( 2003 ) Henry VIII ( 2003 ) Colditz ( 2005 ) Longford ( 2006 ) The Special Relationship ( 2010 ) The Crown ( 2016 -- ) Film Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence ( 1998 ) The Last King of Scotland ( 2006 ) The Queen ( 2006 ) The Other Boleyn Girl ( 2008 ) Frost / Nixon ( 2008 ) The Damned United ( 2009 ) Hereafter ( 2010 ) 360 ( 2011 ) Rush ( 2013 ) Shorts Dear Rosie ( 1990 ) Theatre Frost / Nixon ( 2006 ) The Audience ( 2013 ) BAFTA Award for Best British Film 1947 -- 1967 Odd Man Out ( 1947 ) The Fallen Idol ( 1948 ) The Third Man ( 1949 ) The Blue Lamp ( 1950 ) The Lavender Hill Mob ( 1951 ) The Sound Barrier ( 1952 ) Genevieve ( 1953 ) Hobson 's Choice ( 1954 ) Richard III ( 1955 ) Reach for the Sky ( 1956 ) The Bridge on the River Kwai ( 1957 ) Room at the Top ( 1958 ) Sapphire ( 1959 ) Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ( 1960 ) A Taste of Honey ( 1961 ) Lawrence of Arabia ( 1962 ) Tom Jones ( 1963 ) Dr. Strangelove or : How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb ( 1964 ) The Ipcress File ( 1965 ) The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ( 1966 ) A Man for All Seasons ( 1967 ) 1992 -- present The Crying Game ( 1992 ) Shadowlands ( 1993 ) Shallow Grave ( 1994 ) The Madness of King George ( 1995 ) Secrets & Lies ( 1996 ) Nil by Mouth ( 1997 ) Elizabeth ( 1998 ) East Is East ( 1999 ) Billy Elliot ( 2000 ) Gosford Park ( 2001 ) The Warrior ( 2002 ) Touching the Void ( 2003 ) My Summer of Love ( 2004 ) Wallace & Gromit : The Curse of the Were - Rabbit ( 2005 ) The Last King of Scotland ( 2006 ) This Is England ( 2007 ) Man on Wire ( 2008 ) Fish Tank ( 2009 ) The King 's Speech ( 2010 ) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ( 2011 ) Skyfall ( 2012 ) Gravity ( 2013 ) The Theory of Everything ( 2014 ) Brooklyn ( 2015 ) I, Daniel Blake ( 2016 ) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ( 2017 ) United Kingdom portal Uganda portal Film portal 2000s portal GND : 7581987 - 9 VIAF : 316754539 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Last_King_of_Scotland_(film)&oldid=841655187 '' Categories : 2006 films 2000s drama films British films British drama films German films German drama films DNA Films films Film4 Productions films Best British Film BAFTA Award winners Cultural depictions of Idi Amin English - language films Swahili - language films Films about dictators Films about terrorism Films based on British novels Films directed by Kevin Macdonald ( director ) Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award - winning performance Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films set in 1970 Films set in Scotland Films set in Uganda Films shot in Uganda Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award Operation Entebbe Screenplays by Peter Morgan Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from April 2016 Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Lietuvių Magyar მარგალური Mirandés Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Scots کوردی Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 29 more Edit links This page was last edited on 17 May 2018, at 05 : 22. 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Question: who played idi amin in the last king of scotland
Answer: Forest Whitaker