Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘The Last King of Scotland’?

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

tomatometer

87

Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 179
Fresh: 155 | Rotten: 24

Forest Whitaker's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.

88

Average Rating: 7.3/10
Critic Reviews: 42
Fresh: 37 | Rotten: 5

Forest Whitaker's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.

audience

87

liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 234,156

My Rating

Movie Info

Director Kevin MacDonald teams with screenwriter Jeremy Brock to adapt Giles Foden's novel detailing the brutal reign of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin as seen through the eyes of his personal physician. James McAvoy stars as the doctor who slowly realizes that he is trapped in an inescapable nightmare, and Forest Whitaker assumes the role of the notorious despot. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Drama

,

Peter Morgan, Jeremy Brock

Apr 17, 2007

$17.4M

Fox Searchlight

Cast

All Critics (183) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (163) | Rotten (24) | DVD (30)

Mr. Whitaker and Mr. McAvoy head a first-rate cast that helps The Last King of Scotland to illuminate one of the many dark chapters in recent African history.

November 29, 2006 Full Review Source: New York Observer | Comment
New York Observer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

If this genius turn by Whitaker (he starred in Bird and The Crying Game) doesn't earn an Oscar nomination, then those little statues will lose what little meaning they have.

November 3, 2006 Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | Comment
Orlando Sentinel
Top Critic IconTop Critic

See the movie for Whitaker alone: He's possessed by evil and possesses it wholly, rendering the film (and everyone in it) his plaything.

October 13, 2006 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | Comment
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A good movie elevated by Whitaker's pitch-perfect performance.

October 13, 2006 Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | Comment
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Rare is the actor who can accomplish an instant transformation from beast to buddy, but Whitaker makes it look easy.

October 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | Comment
Arizona Republic
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This is the sort of movie worth seeing for the performances alone.

October 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Comment
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Pit stop for white liberal guilt and neocolonial pillaging

August 28, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion | Comment (1)
CinePassion

This isn't just a moral cause movie for New Yorker-reading smartypants to brag to their friends that they saw to show how in-the-know they are. The Last King of Scotland deserves every good thing that has been said about it, and then some.

August 27, 2008 Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com | Comment

Brutal look at the consequences of absolute power.

July 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

Whitaker pulls off a spectacular thespian coup that has Oscar-winner stamped all over it.

June 25, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

It's ultimate, unpleasing effect is that of shallow-self congratulation.

April 5, 2008 Full Review Source: Projection Booth | Comments (2)
Projection Booth

Whitaker portrays Amin as funny, vulnerable, tender and enigmatic -- all without ever letting us forget he was a maniacal monster.

February 28, 2008 Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | Comment
BrandonFibbs.com

film postaje daleko mra%u010Dniji nego %u0161to su to njegovi autori imali u plan

June 22, 2007 Full Review Source: Index.hr | Comment

it's Whitaker that kept the film alive when everyone was handing him Best Actor statuettes

June 5, 2007 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | Comment
7M Pictures

...Whitaker's superb work remains the highlight of an otherwise routine effort.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

... the film belongs to Forest Whitaker, whose fierce and ferocious performance as Amin earned him the well-deserved Oscar for Best Actor this year.

April 26, 2007 Full Review Source: MSN.com | Comment
MSN.com

Historical fantasy rules in Hollywood's Africa.

April 21, 2007 Full Review Source: WBAI Web Radio | Comment
WBAI Web Radio
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Last King of Scotland

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was portrayed as a funny, charismatic and tender guy, but he never let us forget that he was a maniacal monster. This is a brutal political thriller about power and corruption. The film shows the lengths at one will go for power and money and the persuasion of the population to believe in

July 14, 2011
Raymond Wieser

Super Reviewer

Based on the experiences of a young Scottish doctor who becomes the unlikely confidante of brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, this film is quite even-handed in it's representation of the two main characters. Whitaker was fully deserving of his Oscar and McAvoy looking for the world like a young Ewan McGregor, it's easy

March 11, 2007
garyX
xGary Xx

Super Reviewer

    1. Dr. Junju: Tell the world the truth about Amin. They will believe you, you're a white man.
    – Submitted by Nhayelli A (7 months ago)
    1. Idi Amin: They take you to a tree and hang you by your skin. Each time you scream the evil comes out of you. Sometimes, it can take three days for your evil to be spent. Pull him up.
    – Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)
    1. Nicholas Garrigan: You're a child. That's what makes you so fucking scary.
    – Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)

Movies Like The Last King of Scotland

Latest News for The Last King of Scotland

October 3, 2008:
Further Reading: Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker in Abel Ferrara's Mary
As the NFT in London prepares a Juliette Binoche season, Kim looks at Abel Ferrara's Mary which also...

June 25, 2008:
Wanted's James McAvoy: His Best-Reviewed Films
The action-thriller Wanted hits theaters this week, and though it's toplined by one of the biggest...

What's Hot On RT

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1

Critics Consensus
Critics Consensus

Woman in Black is Solid

The Avengers!
The Avengers!

Five new Marvelous pictures

Total Recall
Total Recall

Unconventional Superheroes

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 18,470 taken
created 12 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 44,196 taken
created 15 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 27,022 taken
created 15 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 27,527 taken
created 15 months ago

Foreign Titles

  • Der letzte König von Schottland - In den Fängen der Macht (DE)
  • Le Dernier roi d'Ecosse (FR)
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile