Review of The Last King of Scotland (2006) by Natalia F — 07 Sep 2009

A barely fictionalised account of the harrowing situation in Uganda under the early years of the dictator Idi Amin. Explored through the situation of the Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan who gets swept into the vortex that is the inner-circle of Amin's world and soon finds that it is a nightmare that is almost impossible to escape.

Forest Whitaker, who has made a career of playing stand-out roles, plays the stand-out role of his career so far as the charismatic, un-hinged Amin. James McAvoy is also superb as Garrigan, portraying a man who is slow to admit that he has been drawn into a situation far beyond his control, while desperately trying to do the right thing by those around him. McAvoy manages to portray the inner turmoil Garrigan feels when he learns that his actions visit horror and death on others, and manages to do it without 'chewing the scenery' as many lesser actors would have done.

The story of Uganda is a sad and horrific one, yet it is one that deserves to be known by a wider audience. Some may complain that the story of a mainly black-African nation is told through the story of a white man, but it is a compelling story nevertheless.