Review of The Last King of Scotland (2006) by Azteco T — 12 Aug 2011

When a violent dictator asks you to be his personal doctor, you'd say no, right? Or if it isn't optional, at least try and get out of the situation as soon as you can, right? Well, not Nicholas Garrigan. To get away from life at home, the young Scottish physician literally flies to the first (well almost the first anyway) country he lands on when he spins his globe at home. Armed only with a dream to change the world, and an extremely wilful and impulsive personality, he lands in 70s Uganda. By chance, he is called to attend to the new President, Idi Amin. In this incident, his wilful personality shines through, along with his mutual resentment of the English, as he points out "Brit- ah, well, I'm Scottish, actually". From here, a close yet turbulent friendship is formed, and a deal made, with the devil. He becomes Amin's own personal physician, and his closest advisor.

'The Last King of Scotland' is essentially a suspense film, but works magnificently well as a political thriller also. The music, Oscar-worthy acting, and impulsive, explosive characters all work towards an incredible atmosphere of sheer suspense and unpredictability. Although the film does have some implausibilities, and a predictable premise, they are overshadowed enough by the great atmosphere and performances by everyone, that you almost don't notice them at all. There is a large cast, with every character being played well. You may argue that so many aren't needed, but to reach the level of suspense that grips the viewer through the second part of the film, you need these minor characters to reinforce much more prevalent things such as the true horror of the things Amin is capable of, and how truly stuck Dr. Garrigan is. One character that I felt could have been left out though is that of Dr. Merrit, played by Adam Kotz. To me, this character served no real purpose in the movie other than to introduce Dr Garrigan to the situation of the three doctors there. And this, I felt, could have been done instead by the character of Sarah Merrit, played by Gillian Anderson.

Forest Whitaker steals the show, with virtually every scene you see him in pulsing with suspense, as he acts out the powerful charisma and unpredictability of Idi Amin, the two factors which ultimately decide the fate of those around him. From Whitaker's flawless portrayal of his character, you know with disturbing certainty that this dictator, with such charisma as he has, could capture the hearts and minds of thousands- and yet still he could order almost any man's execution, and his followers would be honoured to carry it out for him. However, on the other side of the coin, you also know from Forest's magnificent performance that if Amin has a sudden change of mind, your expectations and predictions of the outcome of the movie could be turned on their head as quick as the length of time it takes for him to pick up a gun.

James McAvoy joins Whitaker in giving an excellent performance, his acting talent truly shining in the film. As a delusional, ambitious fledgling doctor with still many harsh realities to learn, as a fish out of water, and as a human being stuck between a rock and a hard place, he fits the part extremely well. He depicts his character almost as well as Whitaker depicts his, completely drawing the viewer into Dr. Garrigan's fast-paced, highly suspenseful world. Following the young protagonist through this journey of his, and seeing how emotionally torn he becomes as he loses patience with this constantly shifting nightmare- which has metamorphosed from his initial dream- completely engrosses the viewer in the almost-schizophrenic, brutally violent world which the young doctor's plunged into.

Also standing out in the movie was David Oyelowo, playing Dr Junju. He held his own amongst James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker, finely depicting his character. One of the only characters in the movie who regularly made good, rational decisions, he was played well by Oyelowo, who is an actor to watch, with solid performances in both this movie and more recently Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In this movie, the uncompromisingly selfless personality of Dr Junju is played excellently by Oyelowo, making you care about the character just as much almost as you care about the protagonist. Another character you come to care about is the badly-treated wife of Amin, Kay (Kerry Washington), through whose ill-treatment the brutality and building hatred of Amin by Nicholas really comes to life. Under the skilful direction of Kevin McDonald, and with the unforgettable performances of James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker, this is perhaps one of the best of the decade, and definitely worthy of its Oscars.