Thoughtless young doctor seeks adventure in an exotic country not knowing what he's getting into

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2007)

This movie is incredible not only for the performance of Forrest Whittaker but for the all-around outstanding performances, effortless directing and editing, and screenplay that deftly educates the viewer even as the protagonist becomes more aware of the complex and dangerous political situation of a foreign land. This is fictionalized history, so how much dramatic license should be allowed is up to the knowledgeable viewer; nonetheless, the education of the character in the context of Idi Amin's Uganda is well-constructed. The young doctor is a brand-new MD from Scotland who randomly picks Uganda as an exotic destination for his first job, knowing nothing about its culture or history. He thinks he'll go have some fun and adventure in a Third World country, doctoring to the natives, having sex with any attractive woman, black or white, married or not. He considers himself apolitical, free of prejudice against anyone, and perhaps so, but that shallow code of decency derives from insensitivity to others' delicate relationships and thoughtlessness about the consequences of his own acts. His ignorance allows him to be brash and frank with Idi Amin in a chance encounter, which charms the dictator, just as Amin then charms the young doctor. Eventually, the young man's thoughtlessness leads to the unwitting betrayal and death of one earnest government officer, and of women with whom the doctor gets involved, forcing finally some awareness as the atrocities escalate around him. He has been a fool, not realizing that a Third World country is not an exotic playground, but the poverty and strife there is the result of legacies of colonialism and brutal egos seeking power amid a disempowered people.