Extraordinarily dumb doctor but a superbly acted movie.

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2007)

A more richly deserved British acting award has never been given. These acting awards were announced here in Fremantle several nights ago before I had watched the movie for which Forrest Whitaker was given this Best Actor award. Diane and I attended The Last King of Scotland this morning and we were both absolutely in agreement that Mr. Witaker's performance, dare I use the often repeated accolade of electrifying, was just that! He was totally believable in the role of Idi Amin with all of Amin's quixotic behaviors and mercurial mood changes. I only remember Amin's physicality on TV broadcasts of the early 70's, I knew nothing of his personality or behavior but I am equally sure that Giles Foden's novel upon which Morgan and Brock's screen play was based was as accurate as the movie reviewers report.
I know that commentators should not necessarily make personal comments about the players in this shoddy little drama played out in central Africa 25 or so years ago but the most memorable aspect of this remarkable movie was not the Amin portrayal, as good as it was but the doctor's, as played by James McAvoy. I left the movie with the good doctors utter, absolute stupidity clouding my memory of this film. Being overly friendly with his medical partners wife was dumb enough, trying to kill Amin with a poison pill was disastrous for one's health but having a sexual affair with one of Amin's wive's was the ultimate stupidity. I know that the script of the movie was based on a fictional novel but the little notice at the film's beginning saying that the movie was factually based leaves a certain questioning in the back of my mind.
Even if the script were totally fictional regarding the good doctor, I still must question a script with such exceedingly stupid people. Amin emerges as a paradigm of virtue and reasonableness in comparison to his doctoral confidant.
These are just silly random comments about a wonderful movie peopled with extraordinary good actors. Amin's henchmen that do the dirty on the doctor at movie's end are memorably sinister--just looking at those guys is scary without them even doing anything. The Last King of Scotland is a memorable movie, miss it and you will have missed a truly great movie.