Last King of Scotland-Doctor Wasn't Needed in this House **1/2

Rating: 6/10 (17 April 2007)

Forest Whitaker's interpretation of the late lunatic Ugandan leader, Idi Amin, was good but not Oscar worthy. In some of the scenes Whitaker mouths the words as if he is being forced to. The person who made him up for this difficult part does deserve praise.
A young Scottish man, just graduated from the University as a doctor, goes to Uganda and in a chance meeting, he comes across the new dictator Amin. The latter has just overthrown the unjust Obote, and in a general compassionate speech, he promises the citizens of Uganda the world. Everyone cheers but the ruthlessness of Amin soon begins to show.
He takes his young doctor under his charge and at first the man is doing everything but doctoring. He even steps in for the Ugandan dictator at an important meeting. When our doctor sees what's going on, he tries to escape, but it's too late. He is severely brutalized and it is amazing that he survived. He is fixed up by a doctor who shall soon receive a bullet in his head for his efforts. Our young hero manages to get on a plane that has been reserved for the hostages take to Uganda by Amin's Palestinian friends. By the way, the film never showed the Israelis saving all but one of Israel's hostages.
A lot of this film is almost reading like a soap opera. We could have entitled it "As Your Stomach Can Turn from Amin."