Excellently crafted

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2007)

The Last King of Scotland is in some ways an historical film, but is essentially a thriller. I knew nothing of Uganda's violent past before watching it.
The film focuses on the experiences of a young Scottish doctor trapped in his home where he feels that his skills have a greater calling elsewhere. He travels to Uganda to help the disease and poverty stricken communities. After a series of unusual events, he ends up as the president of Uganda's personal physician. Soon the doctor finds himself entangled in a spiral of madness and brutality - orchestrated by the monstrous Amin. The character of Dr. Garrigan is played by James McAvoy, and he delivers a worthy performance. As the series of events lead him down deeper and darker roads, his character changes into a completely different person.
Forest Whitaker plays Amin and does a convincing and fascinating job of it. He portrays an unpredictable, paranoid, and deeply disturbed soul and brings it all through masterfully to the screen. Amin is like a child with a gun - dangerous and capable of terrible things in his ignorance. To get into the part Whitaker gained a lot of weight and actually began to learn the language of Swahili. The results are brilliant - not one violent physical action is used in Whitaker's performance, and there is no need. Just the threat of the hulking silhouette is terrifying.
The camera work, script and score are all impeccable, and compliment each other during the course of the film. An ambiance is created in the film perfectly; one of tribal rhythms, sweat, unpredictability, tension, the viewer is truly placed in Uganda.
Some have criticised the film for its fictional quality, (the doctor is a fictional character) saying that it does not portray the true events of the terrible reign of Idi himself. I am not at liberty to agree or disagree with the statement, as it is a business thankfully I have not experienced first - hand, but I can see the validity of such a comment.
Overall, I enjoyed this film immensely for the performances, the cinematography and the wonderful understudy into one of histories madmen.
Don't miss out on this towering historical and cinematographic achievement.