Marvelous masterpiece! Forest Whittaker went far beyond a mere character impersonation, to recreate the essence of Amin

Rating: 10/10 (28 January 2007)

Forest Whitaker did an amazing job here. He resembled Idi Amin--- looked like him, moved like, and sounded like him. But Whitaker's performance was much, much more than a mere impersonation. He really inhabited the guy. The vibe was so full, and so complete! It was as if Whittaker recreated him in a perfect translation for us, the movie audience. That is a rare and marvellous thing. Whitaker more than deserves his Oscar nomination. There are some worthy candidates for best actor this year. Others also did great jobs, and deserve to win as well. But Whitaker also clearly did a masterful job, and clearly deserves to win as well. His portrayal went far beyond the trendy and gimicky 'impersonations' of famous folks.
The story is scary and sort of creepy. But as far as a westerner such as myself can know, it appears to be real. It has a ring of truth and authenticity to it. News stories report the Scottish doctor character was indeed a conglomerate of real-life white visitors to Amin's world. I was engaged and engrossed in the movie from the first scenes that took place in Africa. What an amazing movie! And being true, it also rang with a certain satisfaction that not many movies do.
The Scottish doctor was all too human. He was not painted as any kind of do-gooder or saint, which I liked. How many of us could have resisted the temptations he was faced with? I would guess that most of us would have done exactly as he did, and probably worse. Even though he was a fictional character, it seems that he was based on a conglomerate of western, white people and their behaviour when confronted with the favour of koo-koo despots with unlimited power and wealth. He was seduced. But I think most of us would have been as well.
Overall, a stupendous movie! Please don't be shy about the reality theme, nor the grittiness. it had some gory moments, but wasn't all 'The Killing Fields'-y, as I had feared. It was thrilling, fast-paced, and truly human. I gave it a well-deserved 10 out of 10. And good luck at the Oscars, Mr. Whitaker! I hope you win.