Film Review: The last King of Scotland

A monstrous Majesty

This movie tells a hardly remembered story, showing Idi Amin's cruel, but sometimes almost funny politics. It is hard to imagine that this movie probably tells only half of the anecdotes that could be worth telling about Amin. The story is told through the eyes of Garrigan and mostly tells the story that affects Garrigan. The rest, however interesting, is left in the history books


By CELINE TE BRAAKE
from Groningen, the NETHERLANDS


The seventies in Uganda; the country is being reigned by Idi Amin Dada (Forest Whitaker), a dictator with many peculiarities. The last king of Scotland tells the story of this man through the eyes of his personal physician, Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy). Young Garrigan, a Scotsman who just got his medical degree, flees his boring Scottish life and trades it for an adventurous volunteering career in Uganda. By dumb luck - he happens to be the closest doctor around when Amin has a small accident - he is offered the job of the president's personal physician.

Garrigan is fascinated by Amin, who at that time is not yet known as a murderous dictator, and accepts the job. This provides him a first-class view on Amin's politics. At first he is charmed by the directness of Amin's politics and before he realizes he can't shut his eyes for the cruelties of this man anymore, he gets sucked into the web of Amin until there is no way out.

Forest Whitaker was awarded with an Oscar for his role in The last king of Scotland. Indeed, his performance is breathtaking. At the beginning, the viewer sees an engaging, not too intelligent man, who truly wants to make his country better. Then comes the understanding; Amin's opponents tend to disappear. In the final stage Amin's true nature is revealed; he is a man of unlimited cruelty. Whether it is the corrupting effect of power or, not unlikely, whether Amin is just crazy, is left in the middle. A suggestion for the latter option is made, but no one can be sure.

A strong point of the movie is also James McAvoy's character, Nicholas Garrigan. He is not the all-knowing westerner, the saint who sacrifices his luxury life to use his knowledge for the good of Uganda. In fact, Garrigan is a rather obnoxious, arrogant and na?ve person when he first gets to Uganda. All is adventure for him and he does not listen to the people who warn him, people who can know. For this Garrigan pays a horrible price.

The last king of Scotland tells a hardly remembered story, showing Idi Amin's cruel, but sometimes almost funny politics. It is hard to imagine that this movie probably tells only half of the anecdotes that could be worth telling about Amin. The story is told through the eyes of Garrigan and mostly tells the story that affects Garrigan. The rest, however interesting, is left in the history books. However, there is no need for a more expanded history of Amin. It would even be dangerous. The movie could become an implausible caricature, although this just might be the best description of Amin.

Whitaker crawled in Amin's skin with great success. This man, viewed by the outside world with mostly amazement, is hard to define as 'crazy' or 'highly intelligent'. A very unhealthy mix of probably an equal amount of both of them results in one of the cruelest dictatorships the world has ever seen; The last king of Scotland perfectly touches the sore spot and leaves the viewer stunned and, due to Amin's butchery, slightly nauseous.