Breathaking!

Rating: Null/10 (18 March 2007)

Just...wow.
The Last King of Scotland tells a story of Idi Amin's dictatorship of Uganda, as seen through the eyes of his (fictional) Scottish personal physician, Nicholas Garrigan.
It's certainly the most intense movie I've seen in a while. It's excellently acted, shot, written, and directed. It's not quite as violent as one might expect, considering 300,000-500,000 people died as a result of Amin's actions. There are only a few violent and/or gory scenes in the whole movie, though they are quite enough as they are--this movie is not for the faint of heart (or stomach).
Forest Whitaker, in the title role as dictator Idi Amin, delivers a powerhouse performance. Whitaker is amazing and incredibly frightening to watch, and well-deserving of the Best Actor Oscar. There are no further words to describe his performance. His heart-stopping performance is a must-see.
His foil is the also-talented James McAvoy as Nicholas Garrigan, a naive young man fresh out of med school and looking for adventure. He provides not only the conscience of the movie, but the eyes through which we see it. His reactions provide virtually the only barometer for the audience to gauge their response by--an unusual tactic, but a very effective one. Make no mistake, though. Garrigan is far from the perfect hero. However, in spite of any mistakes he might have made, Garrigan remains sympathetic.
The Last King of Scotland was directed with an excellent eye for suspense and tension by Kevin Macdonald. The plot grabs hold and doesn't let go until the very end.
The movie may not be available in some mainstream cinemas, but it's well worth going out of your way for. Full marks: 10 out of 10.