The cuddliness of evil

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2014)

I watched this last night after buying DVD even though I probably have another copy anyway, because I do like the film despite its many flaws. In the end, it's Forest Whitaker's portrayal of Idi Amin that carries it off. Neither of the actors who play Amin in the Entebbe films quite bring it off, although they tried hard. In this film, the cuddliness of evil is done very well. Even though the Scottish doctor is fictional, his story is believable because he is weak, needy and self-destructive (sleep with a murdering president's wife when there are plenty other women available, and it's why he bonds so well with Amin. He is slimy so it makes it easier for us also to bond with Amin and hate ourselves for doing so. People that are old enough, like me, remember well our ambivalent view of Amin. A monster, perhaps, but one who both loved and hated the British; a phenomenon that exists still in Africa. And for those who comment on Gillian Anderson's British accent......she was born in Britain and adopts a British accent when she is in Britain.