Whitaker doesn't so much play the Ugandan president and charismatic monster, deposed in 1979 and responsible for an estimated 300,000 deaths, as he lights a slow fuse on a highly complex bomb.
Comment
10/05/06
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
Top CriticWhitaker is a commanding force as he navigates the line between charmer and monster.
10/05/06
An uneven film not entirely successful in juggling its very different tones, but...Whitaker's performance is so good that it makes the picture almost insanely watchable.
10/05/06
His sleepy eyes hinting at buried malevolence ... Whitaker's Amin will make you flinch in your seat each time he appears.
10/05/06
Powerful drama with Whitaker’s performance a career peak.
10/04/06
Forest Whitaker has been one of our most interesting actors for 20 years, and he gives the performance of a lifetime in The Last King of Scotland.
10/02/06
Top CriticWhitaker creates one of the most indelible screen portrayals of recent years.
10/01/06
As a metaphor, the fictional Nicholas makes clear the insidious means by which the West, and in particular, the Caucasian West, exploits and abuses its privilege.
10/01/06
Last King is a wonderful compendium of facts and greater truths. Also, a hell of a good movie.
10/01/06
It's only the brilliant performance by Forest Whitaker, which keeps this film from turning too maudlin.
09/30/06
The film as a whole measures up to Forest Whitaker's performance. That's high praise indeed.
09/29/06
Top CriticWhitaker's performance is absolutely spellbinding -- and should land him his first Oscar nomination.
09/29/06
Top CriticWe see Idi Amin through Nicholas' eyes and it's a shocking transformation... he starts out as the people's hope for a brighter future and turns into the nation's nightmare.
09/29/06
There must come a reckoning, and in The Last King Of Scotland, the loss of innocence consumes the whole final hour, during which time Whitaker appears less often, his screen time stolen by an increasingly weepy McAvoy.
09/29/06
Whitaker's portrayal illustrates Amin's complexity -- a study on human nature, rather than an indictment.
09/29/06
It observes the insanity of Amin through the eyes of a corrupted soul, leaving just enough space between fact and fiction to flesh out a fascinating motion picture.
09/28/06
Whitaker's performance dispels most of one's objections. He is terrifying in a way that we recognize not from old movies but from life.
09/28/06
The Last King of Scotland belongs to Forest Whitaker. He is the key to making this Faustian bargain work.
09/28/06
This isn't a history lesson, it's Playing God co-starring Idi Amin with Scully instead of Mulder.
09/28/06
A tour de force performance by Forrest Whittaker makes this Idi Amin biopic a compelling, challenging, edgy film.
09/28/06
Latest News for The Last King of Scotland
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December 06, 2007:
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November 14, 2007:
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