In association with

The Last King Of Scotland [2006]
from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
starring James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, David Oyelowo, Kerry Washington
directed by Kevin Macdonald

Features:

• PAL
• Subtitled

Editorial Review:

As the evil Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance in The Last King of Scotland. Powerfully illustrating the terrible truth that absolute power corrupts absolutely, this fictionalised chronicle of Amin's rise and fall is based on the acclaimed novel by Giles Foden, in which Amin's despotic reign of terror is viewed through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a Scottish doctor who arrives in Uganda in the early 1970s to serve as Amin's personal physician. His outsider's perspective causes him to be initially impressed by Amin's calculated rise to power, but as the story progresses--and as Whitaker's award-worthy performance grows increasingly monstrous--The Last King of Scotland turns into a pointed examination of how independent Uganda (a British colony until 1962) became a breeding ground for Amin's genocidal tyranny. As Whitaker plays him, Amin is both seductive and horribly destructive--sometimes in the same breath--and McAvoy effectively conveys the tragic cost of his character's naiveté, which grows increasingly prone to exploitation. As directed by Kevin Macdonald (who made the riveting semi-documentary Touching the Void), this potent cautionary tale my prompt some viewers to check out Barbet Schroeder's equally revealing documentary General Idi Amin Dada, an essential source for much of this film's authentic detail. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

• Superb film
  I don't tend to follow award nominations, as they can be very pretentious. However, at this price, I thought to give it a try. I have to say I was not disappointed! I remember something of this regime on television as I was growing up, but did not know much about it. This film had a compelling story, outstanding acting, and a great insight into African politics and the British involvement. This I found to be quite different to most films, in the fact that the 'hero' of this story is more of an anti-hero,... more info

• Painful
  A skewered plot and an awful performance by James McAvoy combine to make this film a painful viewing experience.

• Quality acting and quality film
  Not sure what people who gave this film one star were expecting!
  It is an interesting, and disturbing, film, which is similar in some ways to "Killing Fields", whilst being totally different! (If that makes sense!?)
  The two main characters are well-played, and the story - despite one or two "well, I saw that coming" moments - is good, and keeps up a reasonable pace.
  For someone I had heard of, but knew little about, this film was a very good starting point, and has prompted me to read... more info

• Dire overhyped nonsense
  5 Stars?? What level of satisfaction do some people have for a movie. This is a tedious non story whose plot is about as opaque as a broken window. What riled me most was the subtle way the film's credits before and after tried to suggest by association (focussing on what happened to Amin 'after' this) that this film was in some ways an historic document. Once you wake up to the fact the Scottish doctor never existed and that none of this is anything more than fiction in front of an imagined factual... more info

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