A thrilling journey into the presence of a dictator

Rating: 8/10 (19 October 2006)

This is a stand-out brilliant portrait of Idi Amin's rule of Uganda, from a fascinating and unique angle. A young Scottish doctor, totally ignorant of African politics or society, goes out to work in a village hospital, and gets sucked in to Amin's personal clique.
Nicholas, the doctor character, is subtle and wonderfully conceived, and played with great charm by James McAvoy. He's an excellent protagonist - most of the audience will know very little about Uganda or Idi Amin, but this doesn't matter, because he doesn't, either. Gradually, he goes through a process of developing his thoughts, taking the audience along with him. By the end of the film, you suddenly realise you know a lot more than you did at the start - although the film is far too thrilling to be classed as a history lesson.
McAvoy's performance, while first-class, is inevitably overshadowed by the real treat of the film - Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin himself. To anyone familiar with the dictator, there will actually be times when you'll find it hard to believe that you aren't watching him in person. It is completely impossible to tear your eyes off Whitaker whenever he's on screen: he's compelling, terrifying, dynamic, and oddly tender at moments. It's the performance of a lifetime, and he deserves to be richly recognised for it. For me, Whitaker in this film stands alongside Bruno Ganz's extraordinary performance as Hitler in 'Downfall', as the best on-screen depiction of a dictator I've ever seen.
The only problem, for those not familiar with Idi Amin, is that at times you might almost think the filmmakers are exaggerating - that he seems too evil, too insane, too cartoonish. Unfortunately, the portrait is totally accurate. The real Amin was everything the film shows him to be, and more.
The Last King of Scotland is stunning, shocking, and the best film about Africa I've seen for years. See it!