strong film, out shined by Whitaker

Rating: 7/10 (30 January 2007)

Kevin McDonald has been walking through documentaries for some time now. Historically significant events of One Day in September, biographies and the spellbinding re-enactment of mountain-climbing tragedy of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates in Touching the Void. The Last King of Scotland sees McDonald moving out of the documentary field, yet not stepping away from portraying a historical point of time. The Last King of Scotland, blending fact and fiction, circles around the appointment of Idi Amin as President of Uganda, and the beginning of his dictatorship.
After finishing his medical degree, Nicholas Garrigan wants a change of life, and escape from his father. Taking his new degree, Nicholas travels to Uganda, to help the sick while searching for adventure. Being taken to a car accident involving newly appointed leader Amin, Garrigan impresses Amin with his confidence, but mostly on his Scottish heritage. Taking a liking towards Garrigan, Amin appoints him as his personal physician. Garrigan is easily charmed by Amin, going up the ranks to Amin's consultant to right hand man, though Garrigan starts to question Amin's leadership when his real personality crawls out and becomes witness to many unsettling events.
The Last King of Scotland catches you off guard. Told throw Garrigan's eyes, our initial scenes take us through his travels, his work with the villages doctors, and the beginning of his friendship with Amin. Used as an easement of what's to come, all the civil unrest and killings under Amin's rule are all unseen, as Garrigan isn't witness to them; yet. The closer he get's to Amin and what was unseen now faced on, the darker Garrigan's journey becomes. His ideas of coming to Uganda to save the dying and look the savior shatter on his realisation of that simplicity, when clasped so tight to Amin, a man who almost has that sparkle in his eye, switches instantly to cold blooded murderer.
Kevin Macdonald shows his competence jumping from the documentary to feature film. Those initial scenes he takes you by the hand, as we start to spiral into this hellish world he taking us too. Trying to show us his craft as a film maker, he does push too hard than needed. Macdonald's directing is competent, but reaches didactic and awkward at times. This hits a point during Amin watching the film Deep Throat, trying to encapsulate his world of sleaze, along with his pool party where Garrigan makes his ultimate mistake. As the political side is only subtle laid in the background during the start, when Macdonald begins to play upon it, the darker themes move to the foreground, but fight with the paranoia edge of Garrigan's fight for survival and Amin's megalomania. Macdonald pushes one then the other, instead of wielding them in a double edged blade. While Macdonald's directing dips occasionally, there is outstanding cinematography from Anthony Dod Mantle, and viscerally executed violence, with a gut wrenching climax between Amin and Garrigan.
While The Last King of Scotland isn't told through Amin, Forest Whitaker is a commanding force to behold. Like Amin he charms you and draws you in to his world. As the charm fades, the vulgarity and sheer distaste to him build to one powerhouse performance from Whitaker. James McAvoy exudes Garrigan's cockiness and naivety, to a man simply saving his life. Gillian Anderson seems sorely underused as Sarah Merrit, with a character that isn't completely fleshed out.
A few awkward moments here and there weigh The Last King of Scotland down, but when this gets going, there is no stopping it.