Movie Review: The Last King of Scotland (2006)
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Starring: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Simon McBurney, Gillian Anderson, David Oyelowo, Adam Kotz
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
When reviewing movies, it's important to review the movie you've seen, not the movie you'd have preferred to have seen. By that I mean the reviewer needs to focus on what the filmmakers have given us, not what we would prefer for them to have given us.
But sometimes that's difficult, especially with a movie like The Last King of Scotland, when we're given a perfectly decent thriller that had the elements to be something more. It's a well made feature that draws your attention and keeps it, building to a fairly exciting climax, highlighted by a fantastic performance by Forest Whitaker and a solid leading performance by James McAvoy. Director Kevin Macdonald does a great job in setting the stage of the film, Uganda in the 1970s under the reign of Idi Amin, setting the mood of the time before ratcheting up the tension.
Whitaker is fantastic as the despot Amin, flashing charm and charisma to the masses, while hinting at the menace behind his grin and man of the people routine. The only problem with the role, which gets into judging the movie I'd have preferred to have seen, is that we don't get enough of him, as he isn't the featured character of the movie. Thus, the movie doesn't delve deeply enough into the history of Amin, hinting around at his savagery more often than actually revealing it to us.
Instead, the movie focuses on McAvoy's Dr. Nicholas Garrigan, a fictional character who serves as the audience's introduction to Amin's Uganda. McAvoy does a good job with the role, bringing a winking charisma to his irresponsible doctor, who becomes Amin's personal physician and trusted adviser when the dictator meets him and admires his pluck. It's a decent technique, using the outsider to slowly reveal the horrors that lie beneath, if a bit troublesome given that we're treated to a movie about Ugandan genocide through the eyes of a white European.
The problem is that Garrigan isn't as interesting a character as Whitaker's Amin, in fact, he's kind of a dumbass. It's a problem because there probably isn't going to be many movies on Ugandan slaughter or Amin, so I'd preferred a movie that told more of the story and detailed more of what made him tick and the extent of his crimes. Worse, this will almost certainly be the only movie about Amin featuring Whitaker's phenomenal performance, which I would have liked to have seen more of with more dimensions added to the performance.
With that, The Last King of Scotland could've been a truly great movie, memorable for more than just one performance. As it is, we only see Amin in relation to Garrigan, who does a serviceable job as a leading character in an above average thriller, but can not raise the movie to the next level. All in all, it's a solid effort that is definitely worth seeing, but not the defining project it could have easily been.
3.5/5
Related Reviews:
Blood Diamond (2006)
Constant Gardener, The (2005)
Hotel Rwanda (2004)