The history of Idi Amin is an intriguing story, but this film tells us too much about its fictional European and not enough about the politics of Uganda under an all-too-real tyrant.
Comment
11/14/06
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
87
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:176
Fresh:153
Rotten:23
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: 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.
Theatrical Release:Sep 27, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $17,449,410
Synopsis: Forest Whitaker delivers a ferociously commanding performance as bloodthirsty Ugandan president Idi Amin in Kevin MacDonald's THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Adapted from the novel by Giles Foden, the... [More]
Starring: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, David Oyelowo
Director: Kevin MacDonald
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Reviews for The Last King of Scotland
flamboyantly chaotic vision of Hell that certainly won't encourage African tourism
11/05/06
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.
11/03/06
In The Last King of Scotland and through director Kevin MacDonald's contrived broad strokes, Amin is at first a sitcom character on the receiving end of sophomoric fart jokes, then a despicable villain.
11/02/06
Approximates through its fictional lead character (a white doctor who spins a globe, closes his eyes, and plops his finger on Uganda) what it might be like for, well, members of The National Board of Review to be air dropped into the middle of Africa.
10/31/06
With an unsympathetic Everyman as our stand-in and an evil despot at the center of the story, The Last King of Scotland struggles to win our hearts.
10/30/06
I would never sit through it again, but for those of you who want to see every movie nominated for an Academy Award, you'd might as well go ahead and see this one now.
10/28/06
Whitaker's boundless performance demands attention and the safest bet in town at this pre-nomination time is that it will earn one.
10/25/06
Whitaker and McAvoy inhabit their roles so fully that the film around them transforms into a major document of 1970's cultural myopia.
10/23/06
Amin's story is so thick with drama, terror and bloodshed, why create a fictional character to serve as a vantage point?
10/20/06
Whitaker’s dedicated, nuanced performance is excellent and lifts the film from some unsteady early moments.
10/19/06
... if Whitaker doesn't get an Oscar nomination there is officially no justice.
10/19/06
In addition to a very engaging script, Forrest Whitaker and James McAvoy amazingly express the tension and the camaraderie shared by Amin and Garrigan.
10/17/06
Whitaker's acting resurrects the dictator and his deeds with stunning immediacy.
10/15/06
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10/14/06
The Last King of Scotland, and especially Whitaker's performance, provide insight into the troubled psyche of one of history's most terrifying leaders.
10/13/06
It's Whitaker who grabs your attention and sends chills down your spine, as he twists seductive charm into depraved power. He's electrifying, a classic example of a performer who takes a moderately intriguing movie and elevates it to must-see status.
10/13/06
See the movie for Whitaker alone: He's possessed by evil and possesses it wholly, rendering the film (and everyone in it) his plaything.
10/13/06
A good movie elevated by Whitaker's pitch-perfect performance.
10/13/06
Top CriticGraham Greene it's not....Whitaker's striking work aside, The Last King of Scotland is insipid, obvious movieland history.
10/13/06
Latest News for The Last King of Scotland
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December 06, 2007:
James McAvoy on Atonement: The RT Interview
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November 14, 2007:
British Screenwriters Voice Support for Writers' Strike
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