Very well played dramatization of Idi Amin's eight-year reign of terror in Uganda

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2015)

Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's (Forest Whitaker) regime as seen by his personal physician called Garrigan (James McAvoy) during the 1970s , which resulted in the deaths of a half million people . At the beginning Idi Amin seems to be a good President who promises a golden age for the African nation , Uganda . Idi Amin was a charming , magnetic and murderous dictator . Amin's rule was characterized by human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, extra-judicial killings, nepotism, corruption, and gross economic mismanagement . Along the way , Garrigan to be aware increasingly his erratic behavior that grows beyond a legitimate fear of assassination into a murderous insanity . Unwilling to let him return Scotland , Garrigan decides to take some options that could mean his death . Later on , there takes place a plane hijack by Palestines . The local government supported the hijackers and dictator Idi Amin personally welcomed them . In the aftermath of the operation codename ¨Operation Thunderbolt¨ , Idi Amin issued orders to retaliate and slaughter several hundred Kenyans present in Uganda .
A compelling drama all the more gripping because being true , though the character well played by James McAvoy , is fictitious. It is packed with thrills , intense drama , tension , violence , strong loving scenes and nice interpretations . At one point, Idi Amin can be seen wearing a Glengarry , which is a Scottish military cap, with a red and white tartan ribbon around it . Amin had been in the King's African Rifles, and suffered considerable racism from British officers . The only one to show him any respect was a Scotsman, and thenceforth had an inreciprocated affection for Scotland, even considering himself a pretender to the Scottish throne . All star cast gives fine acting as well as support cast . Masterfully played by Forest Tucker as the lunatic leader who is driving Uganda into bloody ruin , he achieved a well deserved Academy Award . James McAvoy as likable doctor who must make some crucial decisions is splendid , he gives a vigorous as well as sympathetic performance . Secondary actors give excellent acting such as Kerry Washington , David Oyelowo , Simon McBurney and special mention for Gillian Anderson . The motion picture was stunningly directed by Kevin Macdonald .
Adding more details about Idi Amin life , these are the followings : Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles, in 1946, serving in Kenya and Uganda . Eventually, Amin held the rank of major general in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its commander before seizing power in the military coup of January 1971, deposing Milton Obote. He later promoted himself to field marshal while he was the head of state. The number of people killed as a result of his regime is estimated by international observers and human rights groups to range from 100,000 to 500,000 . During his years in power, Amin shifted in allegiance from being a pro-Western ruler enjoying considerable Israeli support to being backed by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, Zaire's Mobutu Sese Seko, the Soviet Union, and East Germany. In 1975, Amin became the chairman of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), a Pan-Africanist group designed to promote solidarity of the African states. During the 1977–1979 period, Uganda was a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.In 1977, when Britain broke diplomatic relations with Uganda , Amin declared he had defeated the British and added "CBE", for "Conqueror of the British Empire", to his title . On 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked, by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the German Revolutionary Cells, and flown to Entebbe, the main airport of Uganda. Operation Entebbe was a mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976 . Dissent within Uganda and Amin's attempt to annex the Kagera province of Tanzania in 1978, led to the Uganda–Tanzania War and the demise of his eight-year regime, leading Amin to flee into exile to Libya and Saudi Arabia, where he lived until his death on 16 August 2003 .
Other films about this polemic figure are the followings : ¨The John Akii Bua Story: An African Tragedy¨ (2008) played by John Bosco , ¨Amin : rise and fall¨ (1982) by Shrad Patel with Joseph Olita , "Operation Thunderbolt" (1977) played by Mark Heath , ¨Raid on Entebbe¨ (1976) this version Yaphet Kotto plays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. In the other production, "Victory at Entebbe (1976)," Julius Harris plays Idi Amin