Review of The Last King of Scotland (2006) by Jiana W — 06 May 2012

One of my favorite films. An *excellent* movie. Forest Whitaker is terrific as the two-faced Idi Amin. James McAvoy is great as the young hotshot Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan, and Kerry Washington gives a sensitive performance as Amin's desperate, neglected wife. Their budding relationship was interesting to watch unfold on-screen, and it never took anything away from the movie itself. It propelled the story on, and I liked that.

Nicholas is not a particularly likeable guy. As someone pointed out he loves (and chases after) women, perhaps a little too much for his own good. However, this is not a problem, in my opinion. Not every film has to have a main character you totally love and root for, just as long as the character is believable.

For instance, if he was a "good" level-headed guy, it'd be hard to imagine him getting into a situation like this. You just get the vibe that he's a cocky college grad looking for a good time and ends up butt-deep in trouble.

There are scenes that are angering and can be hard to watch for some. But this is a tough, occasionally horrific (the "hanging" scene) look at what some people in other countries have to endure on a regular basis. Watch it.