Directed by:
Kevin MacdonaldCinematography:
Anthony Dod MantleComposer:
Alex HeffesCast:
Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Simon McBurney, David Oyelowo, Stephen Rwangyezi, Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga, Adam Kotz, Gillian Anderson (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Set in Uganda in the 1970?s, The Last King of Scotland is a compelling mix of fact and fiction that depicts Idi Amin (Whittaker) as one of the most powerful dictators of our time. Amin?s savagery is illustrated in part through a naive Scottish doctor (McAvoy) who finds himself entangled with Amin in a desperate fight for survival. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
A decent film from an exotic setting with a young James McAvoy as a doctor and Forest Whitaker as a dictator in Kampala. I was expecting something grittier and more intense due to the theme and the harsh setting, but thankfully I didn't slip into boredom. Still, the film left me somewhat cold. 65%
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A great Forest Whitaker, an underused James McAvoy (shame on the writers for ditching the main character like that!), a nice African setting, an even nicer Gillian Anderson... But the promised drama was where, exactly? Not that I was downright disappointed, but the film is completely lacking anything that should have shocked me or made me think "Wow, that Amin, what a monster..." Of course, I have no desire to see hundreds of thousands of people murdered, but what was it about The Last King of Scotland that was supposed to impress me? The final half hour or so? Yes, it was impressive. Explanatory captions with the number of victims of Amin's atrocity? Nope.
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I expected it to mainly focus on Forest Whitaker's performance, which is partly true, but the film has a story that actually surprised me. I didn't expect anything from it, but it's not that bad. At least at first. It seems like several interesting storylines are unfolding here, but in the end, attention almost blindly focuses only on the insane dictator portrayed excellently by Whitaker. It's a shame because story-wise, it's a missed opportunity. Surprisingly, the film isn't even as gritty as I expected. Or am I really that numb to it by now?
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The five-star Forest Whitaker in an otherwise average three-star film. This film shows how advanced Euro-American cinema approaches developing countries, where the main character of a film set in central Africa must necessarily be a white European to cater to the audience in economically advanced countries. Thus, the story of a British guy who comes to Africa to have fun and gain some life experience is attached to the drama of a dictator from Central Africa. However, the script failed to convincingly justify the existence of the main character, because the clear standout and magnet of the film is the self-proclaimed president Idi Amin, whom Forest Whitaker undoubtedly gave more charisma than the dictator had in reality. In my opinion, the main character should have been a black African who, for some reason, got close to the new leader of the country and was forced to witness all the madness and face Amin's sudden mood swings and chronic suspicion. It may not have been possible to completely ruin such a promising character as Amin, with long rows of corpses and countless crimes behind him, but Whitaker seized the opportunity and made the most of it, winning an Oscar. I wouldn't say it's his best performance on the big screen, but it is these socially critical roles that are awarded film prizes. Overall impression: 60%.
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An ordinary low-budget film with a serious and interesting theme, a captivating performance by Forest Whitaker, and a few rougher scenes, other than that, it is uninteresting. The linear plot has many dull moments, it is quite predictable, and only occasionally does a more intense scene ruffle the waters. I understand the Oscar nomination, but otherwise, this film doesn't have higher ambitions. It's nice that it's based on a true story, but that doesn't guarantee success, although I have no doubt that this symbolic “guarantee of an interesting spectacle” will find its fans, who will defend it to the death. Honestly, it didn't entertain me.
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