The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Genre: Drama / History
Duration: 121 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom / Germany / United States
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
Stars: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy and Gillian Anderson
IMDb score:
7,6 (200.680)
Releasedate: 12 January 2006
The Last King of Scotland plot
"Charming. Magnetic. Murderous."
In the 1970s, a Scottish doctor is accidentally appointed by Idi Amin, Uganda's new dictator at the time, as his personal doctor. Amin had previously trained with the British army and developed a preference for Scots. He regularly wore kilts and wanted to raise an army to make Scotland independent. Initially, the doctor is honored to hold this position, but he soon finds himself in a state of conscience because of the many atrocities the dictator inflicts.
Actors and actresses
Idi Amin
Dr. Nicholas Garrigan
British Diplomat
Sarah Merrit
Kay Amin
Dr. Thomas Junju
Masanga
Dr. David Merrit
Mrs. Garrigan
Dr. Garrigan - Senior
Reviews & comments
Roger Thornhill
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- 5827 messages
- 2333 votes
Strong and haunting film. Many users here appear to have never heard of Idi Amin, but in the 1970s his name was synonymous with abuse of power, cruelty and even (alleged) cannibalism (Amin himself: "I don't like human flesh. It's too salty for me "); I won't say that in terms of "fame" he could be equated with, say, Stalin or Pol Pot, but a household name as a ruthless dictator he was. Maybe that's why I had a slight sense of disappointment after this film: the development of the story itself was quite predictable, and despite the presence of two horrific scenes (the severed limbs and the doctor who his chest is lifted) I should have prepared myself for even greater horrors (but that could also be because this film mainly highlights the beginning of Amin's reign: perhaps a portrait of his later years could and should be a lot coarser to be). Anyway, in the end, of course, quite impressive with an excellent (but perhaps not quite Oscar-worthy) leading role.
Shadowed
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- 10168 messages
- 6086 votes
Good.
Remarkably enough, film that I hadn't really heard of yet despite its reasonable status. I recently saw this film on TV and because it features Idi Amin, from a period that interests me, I decided to grab the film. I'm not disappointed, but I'm not much wiser than I already was.
To start with, this film has a very smooth atmosphere that manages to pull it out of the African landscape. Director Macdonald applies the filters in an excellent way and makes every minute count in this film. Whitaker is a theatrical but very interesting character. If this was what Amin was like in real life, I find that really incredible and in a crazy way fascinating.
If you hope you can gain a lot of knowledge through this film, I have to disappoint you. This film mostly seems to retell the basics and highlights some of the most famous moments of Amin's reign. Moreover, McAvoy's character is completely fictional, so as a viewer you are forced to take certain moments within this film with a grain of salt.
That aside. This has become a very smooth and entertaining film with a lot of impressive scenes and mood settings. The acting by McAvoy and Whitaker is very good. I notice little focus towards characters that don't matter, so this film has a soothing effect and doesn't get stuck on every unnecessary detail. It's nice to be a movie that doesn't take the bingo card out of his pocket.
A bit of a shame that the intriguing narration and look in Amin's character is eventually thrown overboard towards the finale. There it really becomes a thriller film, but I didn't think it came across with the sharp tone that the rest of the film had. This was a good movie and the 2 hours passed quickly, fun to watch.
Alathir
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- 2110 messages
- 1624 votes
Good story. You see how people with power often have two faces. James McAvoy also plays his part very well, the first time Forest Whitaker speaks, he goes along with the enthusiasm, but as the film progresses this becomes less and less and he can start to fear for his life. Good story, did not know the history behind it at all, but sometimes interesting to have seen. I also don't know of a similar film with this one, which I can appreciate.
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