The Last King of Scotland
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
Written by: Jeremy Brock, Giles Foden, Peter Morgan
Starring: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson

It seems like every year there is a stand out performance from a particular actor or actress that attracts Oscar buzz almost immediately, building momentum until it essentially overshadows everything else about the film. This year the loudest Oscar buzz has surrounded Forest Whitaker and his role in Kevin Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland. From what I could tell, it certainly seemed like he was deserving of all the attention he had been getting, but I was still curious to find out if the rest of the movie was just as extraordinary.

The Last King of Scotland tells the mostly fictional story of a young doctor in the 70’s who moves to Africa to try and make a difference, only to get caught up in the political unrest of Uganda under the rule of infamous President Idi Amin. Amin was a notorious real-life dictator who, although charismatic and seemingly good-intentioned, actually ruled with an iron fist, sending death squads to hunt down and murder all those who opposed him. He became increasingly erratic, and ordered the expulsion of Uganda’s Asian population, claiming that God had told him it was necessary in a dream. The doctor in the story is a fictional character named Nicholas Garrigan, whose Scottish background endears him to Amin due to his own anti-England views. Although Garrigan was not a real person, most of the backdrop for the movie is based on historical fact.

First things first: Whitaker does indeed do a great job at portraying the idiosyncratic yet unpredictably dangerous Amin. For obvious reasons, Whitaker completely dominates whenever he is on screen, and I would not dispute his position as frontrunner for Best Actor at this year’s Academy Awards. It’s just one of those transformative roles where you see an actor truly become someone else, and with old footage of the real Amin readily available for the sake of comparison, it’s quite easy to see how well he pulled it off. That said, it’s also simply a matter of great casting; it’s not a huge stretch for Whitaker to alternate between jovial comedy and brutal savagery since he has played both before. He keeps you on edge throughout the entire movie.

The biggest complaint that people seem to have about this film is that Whitaker is simply not on screen often enough. While I would agree that the Nicholas Garrigan character (James McAvoy) is not as interesting, and in a lot of ways, simply self-absorbed and frustrating to watch, I also don’t think that the movie could have been as effective if it was from Amin’s point of view. It wouldn’t have worked, because he is not someone an audience can identify with. Part of his menacing nature is a result of the mystery surrounding him. I can accept the need for a protagonist in the film, despite the fact that Amin is the true focal point.

Ultimately, The Last King of Scotland plays out like a somewhat conventional thriller, which in itself is not a bad thing since it does so reasonably well. There are some surprisingly graphic and disturbing scenes of violence which help to elevate the tension level, and reveal the extent of Amin’s atrocities. (It should definitely be noted that the movie is not for the squeamish.) My only disappointment in the film stems from the fact that I was expecting a little bit more realism from a documentary director like Kevin Macdonald (Touching The Void, One Day in September). Although it’s supposed to be based partially on real events, it still feels very much like a fictional story, and is subject to some of the typical “movie moments” we’ve come to expect over the years. Overall it’s a decent enough film, but one that will probably only be remembered for allowing Whitaker to shine, and not much else. — Sean

SCORE:

Recommended If You Like: Hotel Rwanda, General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait

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