Powerful But Gruesome

Rating: 7/10 (16 December 2006)

This telling of the rise of Idi Amin as told through the eyes of the young Scottish physician who found himself in the dictator's inner circle long before he realized that was a dangerous place to be is a compelling, powerful film despite some incredibly graphic depictions of violence that are so horrific that they take the viewer out of the film rather than drawing him into it.
I was somewhat surprised that Forrest Whittaker has won so many acting awards for his performance. He does a fine job as Amin and provides a chilling and complex presence, but it is to me really a supporting role (despite Whittaker's top billing) and the outstanding performance of the film is James McAvoy in the more challenging role of the young Scotsman who is at first charmed by the dictator and is soon horrified by him. The film is really McAvoy's character's story, and while I don't suggest that he should have been the rightful recipient of the awards that went to Whittaker (I would give my vote to Peter O'Toole in "Venus"), I think he has been seriously undervalued in the praise of his fine performance (as is the superb Kerry Washington in the pivotal roles as one of Amin's wives).
"The Last King of Scotland" is a fine movie, but there were some sequences that were so gruesome that I had to look away from the screen. In those moments, I was very aware that I was in a audience watching a film rather than feeling a part of it. I think the excellent performances of Whittaker, Washington and especially McAvoy would have been far better served by a more suggestive approach.