The Last King of Scotland

Release Year: 2006
Review: Based on the real reign of the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, 'The Last King of Scotland' attempts to show the brutality of the man through the eyes of a Scottish doctor. The movie is based on the book by the same name and tells the fictional story of a young Scottish doctor(played by James McAvory) who goes to Uganda to try and make a difference. He is charmed by the newly appointed dictator and delights in being his personal physician. Only later does he realize his mistake once he sees what Amin is capable of.

Forrest Whitaker plays the part of the charming, yet ruthless, Idi Amin well, but unfortunately doesn't get the screen time he deserves. This was my problem with the film. I want to know more about Idi Amin, and not the doctor. I understand they use the doctor character as a vehicle to show the life of Amin, but they fail at achieving this. I'm uninterested in the misadventures of a young, ignorant doctor, who by all accounts deserved exactly what he got. The plot line for the doctor was not well fleshed out, and his motivations and the consequences for his actions seemed superficial. There were things he did that seemed completely out of character and I had no idea what I was supposed to feel about him. The far more interesting character was Amin, and his story is overshadowed by the lesser spoiled doctor. Most of the terrible reign of Amin is skimmed over, and his brutality was only nominally portrayed. The film has some powerful scenes, but is undercut by a weak, often forced, story. Idi Amin is an interesting character, and plays well on film, but is ultimately squandered by a much less interesting and shallow minor character and the film suffers for it.
Rating: 3/5