No, this movie is not about Scotland, at least not directly. Instead, it is the story of the dictator Idi Amin, after he took military control of the African nation of Uganda in 1970, as told through the eyes of a young Scottish doctor who becomes General Amin’s personal physician. The director’s vision and the brilliantly captured cinematography, shows us the lush rolling hills of Uganda, the president’s mansion and well-maintained grounds, and the striking contrast that is provided by Amin’s brutal regime over the citizens of this land. But the movie does not start by showing us Amin’s dark side, though we catch glimpses of it in Forrest Whittaker’s nuanced performance as the dictator. The Amin the audience sees at the beginning, and Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) sees, is a charismatic, well-spoken man, who is from humble beginnings. The excitement and hopefulness of the Ugandan people, and Dr. Garrigan’s faith in Amin at the beginning of the film, makes it all the more tragic when Amin betrays everyone’s trust and plunges his country into violence.
McAvoy, as Dr. Garrigan, provides a perfect character for the audience to follow and sympathize with, as his world spins out of control. Though Garrigan makes a few major mistakes, the audience has learned enough about the character and where he comes from, to understand why he does what he does, and to ultimately forgive him his transgressions. Ultimately, Dr. Garrigan’s quick thinking and his own personal charisma, is all that stands between him and Amin’s wrath. The outstanding performance in this film, however, which holds the whole movie together, is Forrest Whittaker as General Amin. An actor who had several wonderful supporting roles in films like Platoon, The Crying Game, and Phenomenon during the late ‘80s and ’90s, had seemingly disappeared from film work in the new millennium. Finally, in the Last King of Scotland, Whittaker shines as the lead actor, completely inhabiting the role of the Ugandan dictator. His face alone expresses to us Amin’s happiness, his anger, and his building paranoia, as he starts executing those closest to him. It almost felt as though Amin, as portrayed by Whittaker, were two people, one quite pleasant and passionate, the other indecisive and reactionary.
Whittaker richly deserves the Golden Globe award he won for best actor in a drama, and is the man to watch in the upcoming Oscars.
This movie helps shed light on some of the problems in Africa, both past and present, which American audiences hear about but rarely fully understand. The film keeps your attention throughout, leaving you with some haunting images but a deeper understanding of what exactly happened in Uganda. The Last King of Scotland, an independent film that unfortunately lacks a wide distribution (the closest theater showing the film is the Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville), is highly entertaining and enlightening. I strongly recommend taking a trip to see it.
5 out of 5