Beware of the blurring of lines between fiction and reality!

Rating: 7/10 (28 February 2007)

The most important element of this film is the disclaimer that precedes the action. It says that the film is BASED on real people and real events. Idi Amin was a real person; Garrigan was not. Giles Foden - on whose book this film is based - uses the fictional Garrigan as a device to reveal his portrait of Amin.
Forest Whitaker is excellent in the role but I could not get past the fact that it was an actor - a very good one - giving a performance. Try as I might but I could not find him scary. For me Whitaker's humanity shines through. What has been a strength in other performances is a weakness here. Wait until the end for footage of the REAL Amin for a truly terrifying glimpse of controlled madness.
James McAvoy too is excellent. There's glory in portraying an evil despot but little in playing his fool! In a way McAvoy's is a much braver performance than Whitaker's. In all, a very good film but beware of the blurring of lines between fiction and reality!