The dictator

Rating: 10/10 (16 October 2006)

Most satraps that gain power begin with the pledge they are for the people. Unfortunately, history proves them wrong, again and again. In their hunger for power these misguided individuals confuse what the job entails and concentrate only in taking care of themselves as they develop huge egos that will betray them and ultimately cause their own downfall.
Idi Amin, the Ugandan dictator, was a man that came into power with the potential for doing good. Instead he went to surround himself with inept people as he eliminated the ones that dared to oppose him. In this fictionalized account of the life of this strong man, there are hints that he never had any good intentions for his country or his fellow Ugandans.
The story links a naive young Scot, Dr. Nicholas Garrigan, who one day decides as a lark to point to an earth globe with his finger and decide that wherever it lands, that's where he will go to practice medicine. The first time he tries, the finger lands in Canada, but he rejects it, probably as not challenging enough. The second try his finger touches Uganda, a place that will prove fateful for this young doctor.
Little prepares Dr. Garrigan for what he encounters once in Uganda. The remote spot where he is to practice is run by the Merits, a doctor and his wife. The town where Garrigan begins working receives the visit of the new head of the country, Idi Amin. Garrigan is obviously impressed with the energy displayed by the general, who assures the poor people he is there to protect them because he is for the people. An accident brings back the doctor to the presidential car. Amin, who realizes Garrigan is from England, is happily surprised when the young man tells him he hails from Scotland.
That fateful meeting impresses both men. Amin, the powerful man, decides he wants the young doctor to be his own personal physician. The young doctor is dazzled by the Mercedes that is given to him and how he suddenly is made to be the head of the hospital in Kampala. In the meantime, Garrigan meets, and falls for one of Amin's wives, the gorgeous Kay whose only son is epileptic.
Things begin to change and Garrigan realizes he has really misjudged the situation. He starts to see how his protector can really turn against him when he wants out. The bloodbath throughout the country will devastate the land. Dr. Garrigan is angered by what Amin has done to Kay; the cruelty the dictator knows no boundaries.
Kevin McDonald the director of "The Last King of Scotland" paints a realistic picture of the madness during the Idi Amin's regime. The dictator is presented as he probably was. As any man in his position, Amin manipulates the political situation to his own advantage. He uses people to carry on his agenda and when they question anything, he eliminates them.
Forest Whitaker gives an epic performance in the title role. Mr. Whitaker, a serious actor who should be seen more often, smolders the screen every time we see him; he is bigger than life! We don't recall a performer that was able to convey what goes on in the mind of a satrap the way this actor captures every nuance of his character. Mr. Whitaker is magnificent in the way he brings this hideous man alive and runs away with the film.
James McAvoy, who plays Dr. Garrigan, is also an excellent player. He matches Mr. Whitaker perfectly. This young actor, from whose eyes the story is seen, makes a tremendous contribution to the success of the picture. Kerry Washington has a small, but pivoting role, as Kay Amin, one of the dictator's wives. Gillian Anderson appears as Sarah Merrit and Simon McBurney gives an interesting performance as Nigel Stone.
"The Last King of Scotland" is one of the best biopics about a dictator. The combination of Douglas McGrath and Forest Whitaker translates into one of the best films about the horrors of unlimited power in the hands of a mad man.