Forest Whitaker gives one of the finest performances of all time

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2016)

Holds up very well on rewatch.
1. The opening scenes in Scotland are vital, and indicative of how director Kevin McDonald and screenwriters Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock set their movie up. Within two minutes of meeting Nicholas' boring and self-satisfied father, we're desperate for the young doctor to get away from a stale life at home for some adventure. McDonald leaves out any sound but the drone of his voice, and keeps the like dim and bleak as a contrast to the colour and noise of Africa. The way that Nicholas lands on Canada first is not only humorous but stops the film feeling like a make believe story. Sometimes those little things can improve a film's authenticity.
2. Forest Whitaker's performance in this film is not only one of the best black performances ever put to screen, it is one of the single best acting performances of all time. Only Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood eclipses him. I have no doubt that the real Whitaker is a very gentle man, which shows through when Amin shows laughter or friendliness. But when Amin has one of his many mood swings, he's a terrifying monster, with his imposing physical form, impeccable Ugandan shout and overbearing presence.
3. Without the film's screenplay, however, this film would've been very by-the-numbers. The writing and placement of Nicholas make us fearful of Amin ourselves, the way he gives a little too much credit to Nicholas, the way he does not respond to small talk, the way he comes into Nicholas' room with no respect for his privacy. By the time Nicholas' passport is stolen and replaced, we can practically feel Amin's iron grip around our chests.
4. James McAvoy's performance is one I took for granted on first viewing, but appreciated so much more the second time. Its quite unlike what McAvoy is best known for, and refreshingly unnoble and more than a bit arrogant. He is an arrogant, ponce school boy dropped way out of his league in Uganda. Even as people try to tell him about Amin's evils, his naive ideals keep him from seeing the truth. At no point do we question Nicholas' intelligence, because he's a fully realised character whose decisions are logical for him.
5. The toxic relationship between Amin and Nicholas is central to the film. He's getting praise for things he doesn't deserve, then he's being told to mind his business. He's not just a doctor, then he's just a doctor. Every time Amin says Nicholas is his adviser, we don't feel it - the one time Nicholas makes an order we can feel the shaky authority.
6. The subplot of the Cabinet Minister Jonah Wasswa is likely the strongest in the film. It foreshadows how easily Amin throws aside his advisors and demonstrates Amin's madness that he would execute a man on the mere suspicion of unsubstantiated wrongdoing. The subplot of Nicholas' affair with Kay is a close second. Some might complain that the flirtation with the doctor's wife at the start of the film is superfluous, but its a sensational foreshadow of his affair with Kay later in the movie.
7. Kerry Washington is almost unrecognisable as Kay, a completely unsexy and raw performance as the neglected and ostracised wife. Yet her chemistry with McAvoy somehow still causes sparks...and it works. David Oyelowo is also brilliant as a Doctor Junju.
8. The British agent played by Simon McBurney is also brilliant. From his first appearance, we get a nasty impression that he's smug and self-important, and when Nicholas finally breaks and goes to him for help all of his past behaviour fits in.
9. Amin's torture of Garrigan consists of some of the most wrenching torture scenes since Misery.
10. The film drags slightly towards the end, but as a whole its a remarkably satisfying experience. The way it works in fiction around fact is an achievement in itself.