The Last King of Scotland (2006): B

Having previously helmed the non-fictional One Day in September and semi-documentary Touching the Void, director Kevin MacDonald now makes the leap into full-fledged dramatic filmmaking – while nonetheless retaining his interest in historical subject matter – with The Last King of Scotland, an “inspired by true events” tale of young Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), who travels to Uganda in the early ‘70s and inadvertently becomes the physician of, and “closest advisor” to, genocidal maniac Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). As scripted by Jeremy Brock (based on Giles Foden’s novel), it’s a story of arrogant, egotistical naiveté shattered, tracing Garrigan’s transformation from devil-may-care Scottish boy – who, in an effort to flee the dreary life mapped out for him by his parents, decides to visit Uganda by spinning a globe and blindly choosing a country at random – to disenchanted man hardened by his horrifying experiences with the country’s ruthless dictator. Creaky as this narrative arc often proves (especially considering Amin and Garrigan’s surrogate father-son bond), and as squandered as Gillian Anderson and Kerry Washington are as Garrigan’s love interests, the film profits immensely from Whitaker’s force-of-nature performance, the actor embodying the notorious Amin as a charmingly garrulous giant whose friendliness masked consuming paranoia and homicidal madness. Yet what chiefly elevates The Last King of Scotland above its modest plot construction and bestows on it a manic, sweaty intensity is MacDonald’s consistently canny direction, with his pseudo-verité cinematography imparting an intimate sense of the beautiful-but-treacherous Uganda and his electric zooms into close-up capturing Amin’s imposing presence. Best of all, however, is the final juxtaposition of an overly quixotic (and clichéd) image of young smiling Africans running alongside a plane with McAvoy’s bruised and disillusioned countenance, a poignant point-counterpoint that functions as a stinging rebuke to both do-gooder white-man’s-burden fantasies and the disingenuous, Africa-exoticizing movies (The Constant Gardener, this means you) that promote them.

Comments

[josephgrossberg]

Forest Whitaker's versatility is really amazing, huh?

[Nick]

Yeah, he's definitely an actor who doesn't quite get his due. I'm sure, though, that this performance will get lots of award consideration - apparently, the Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern has already called it one of the best in the history of cinema (which, I think, is probably going a bit far).

[Rosemary Storaska]

Forest Whitaker is brilliant in portraying Idi Amin as a charismatic fraudster who only reveals himself when he pleases and to whom he pleases. Gillian Anderson, although her part is small, sets a strong stage for what is to come with her performance as Sarah, although it is not notable enough to get an Oscar nod. It will open a door added to the critical acclaim she received surrounding Bleak House on PBS. Whoever coined the phrase, Black is Beautiful had Kerry Washington in mind because her performance is most certainly Oscar caliber in the supporting role category. James MacAvoy is convincing as the naïve doctor forming the center of a foursome who lead this movie screenplay. It, too, is not an Oscar performance, but it is nonetheless his best work to date. McDonald, as director, is most certainly in the race to actually bring home a gold statute as this movie plays as a documentary while bringing out the human turmoil that made being in the Amin camp a balancing act on a swaying rope. One thing is for certain with this film--you will come away emotionally touched both from the production elements to the strong acting from everyone concerned. It would be difficult to pick the best performance outside of Whitaker. You will forget Forest Whitaker is on screen as what you will see is the real, Idi Amin. There is nothing on the docket of potential Oscar winning possibilities that touches the depth of his performance. It is one role that has to be remembered as the best in film history in this decade. This film rises to the level of a 'required reading' assignment on the university scene.

[Ashley Pomeroy]

"you will come away emotionally touched both from the production elements to the strong acting from everyone concerned" - studio plant.

[christopher Hall]

i was left breathless by this movie, the intensity is incredible. the photography, editing, the direction... it really does come down to the acting above all... great film.