Outstanding, thrilling, surefire Oscar winner.

Rating: 9/10 (13 January 2007)

'The Last King of Scotland' is intelligent and thrilling drama created with flawless acting, writing and direction. Directed by Kevin McDonald, making his fiction debut after acclaimed documentaries 'One Day in September' and 'Touching the Void', brings Giles Foden's novel to the screen with flair and creates a haunting and entertaining cinematic experience.
The film is based on Foden's fictional book, which constructs a fictional story from true events surrounding Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator and self-proclaimed 'Last King of Scotland'. Amin ruled Uganda as a tyrant, responsible for the deaths of, as the film explains, at least 300,000 of his people. The film mixes fact and fiction to follow the fictional character of Nicholas Garrigan - who is inspired by real people - a young Scottish doctor, as he spontaneously travels to Uganda, determined to do what he can to improve the nation. There he meets, by chance, Amin and is soon appointed his personal physician. Nicholas gradually becomes a greater part of Amin's life, as Amin does in his and slowly becomes aware of the dangerous position that he is in, one where he cannot escape.
The film's script comes from Jeremy Brock (writer/director of 'Driving Lessons') and Peter Morgan, currently earning acclaim for his script for the award-winning 'The Queen' and his hit West End play 'Frost/Nixon'. Their screenplay blends humour, tragedy and emotional human drama with two complex lead characters to tremendous effect. The two men are fascinating and captivating characters.
The direction is excellent. The film is well-paced, with breathtaking locations and urgent, often hand-held cinematography that give gritty realism that doesn't glorify the story in gloss as could have happened if left in the hands of Hollywood. But this production is in good hands, with a Scottish director and English screenwriters.
The film really comes alive with the outstanding performances of the talented cast, in particular Forest Whitaker as Amin and James McAvoy as Garrigan. Whitaker thoroughly deserves the Best Actor Oscar for his blistering and intense portrayal as the dictator, searing across the screen alternately charming and terrifying. McAvoy does not allow himself to be upstaged by Whitaker's powerful screen presence, and his performance will at least gain him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His performance is every bit as compelling as Whitaker's, as he creates a character whose actions render him difficult to like, but crucially we can sympathise with in the climactic scenes. Great support comes from Kerry Washington as one of Amin's wives, David Oyelowo as McAvoy's predecessor as personal physician and Simon McBurney as a sleazy, manipulative Englishman.
'The Last King of Scotland' is a thoroughly deserving Oscar contender and a truly great piece of film.