One great performance and One good film

Rating: 8/10 (22 October 2006)

Forrest Whitaker shines in this film, a shine that is usually rewarded come Oscar time. He is able to show the charisma and madness that was Idi Amin. Warm and inviting one moment and crazed and delusional the next. The other performances in this film were good as well, but it is Whitaker that shines. The story is about a young Scotsman that is not quite ready to accept the comfort and conformity that is waiting for him as a family doctor in Scotland. So, he decides to spin the globe and wherever his finger lands is where he will go. Of course he is seeking some adventure and when the first spin lands on Canada, well, it's spin again. On the second spin he hits Angola and the adventure begins. Through a number of events our young doctor ends up becoming Idi Amin's personal physician and so much more. Now, I will admit, that I thought some of the story twists were a bit too far out there, the kinds of things that makes a movie say that it is "based" on a real story. And yes, the movie does start to tire a little towards the second half. But overall, it is by far one of the best films I have seen this year and one of the strongest performances.