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Movies / On DVD / The Last King of Scotland
The Last King of Scotland

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The Last King of Scotland (2006)

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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.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for some strong violence and gruesome images, sexual content and language

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:12-01-2006

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... 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 film recounts Amin's horrific reign through the eyes of a fictional character, Nick Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young doctor from Scotland who travels to Uganda hoping to do some good. Nick is more sanguine about new president Amin than is his counterpart Sarah Merrit (Gillian Armstrong), whose experience causes her to be skeptical of Amin's bombastic declarations. After an automobile accident, Nick is called in to treat the president's wounds. His authoritative behavior impresses Amin, who charms Nick into becoming his personal physician. Nick embraces his newfound life of luxury, but he is unable to grasp the reality of the situation. When he does finally realize the atrocities Amin is inflicting upon his people (and is also capable of inflicting on Nick), the terrified doctor tries to make a frantic escape before it's too late. MacDonald, director of the acclaimed documentaries ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER and TOUCHING THE VOID, makes a startlingly assured transition into fictional filmmaking with THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Working with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (THE CELEBRATION) and editor Justine Wright, MacDonald brings 1970s Uganda to pulsating life, perfectly recreating that tumultuous era. But ultimately the film belongs to Whitaker: as he shifts from charming to maniacal in the space of a short, unexpected breath, he infuses Amin with startling humanity. [More]

Starring: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, David Oyelowo

Starring: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, David Oyelowo, Kerry Washington, Simon McBurney

Director: Kevin MacDonald

Director: Kevin MacDonald
Screenwriter: Peter Morgan, Jeremy Brock
Producer: Andrea Calderwood, Lisa Bryer, Charles Steel
Composer: Alex Heffes
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for The Last King of Scotland

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Whitaker pulls off a spectacular thespian coup that has Oscar-winner stamped all over it.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
06/25/08
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A smart, searing thriller with blistering performances from McAvoy and Whitaker. Like the best Graham Greene script Graham Greene never wrote.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
01/12/07
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
Total Film

Whitaker's chilling, charismatic take on Uganda's General Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland stands up there with the great depictions of unhinged dictators like Antony Hopkins' Hitler in The Bunker or Christian Clavier in the 'Napoleon' mini-series.

Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
01/12/07
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
FilmFour.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hard to believe that an actor previously renowned for his gentleness could play such a monster, but the transformation is seamless.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/12/07
Matthew Leyland
Matthew Leyland
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Whitaker commands his scenes as effectively as he did in Clint Eastwood's film about Charlie Parker.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
01/12/07
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

Whitaker is mesmeric as the bombastic despot, perfectly capturing his oddly comic but ultimately brutalistic ­nature.

Full Review Source: thelondonpaper | comment Comment
01/12/07
Hugh Reilly
Hugh Reilly
thelondonpaper

So often the gentle giant, Whitaker changes tack here with an intimidating display of girth and guile, mixed in with the outward signals of untouchable nuttiness.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
01/12/07
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Whitaker is astounding in this role, moving easily between the happy charm that made Amin champion of his people, and the madness that led this infamous dictator to kill almost half a million of them.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
01/12/07
Johnny Vaughan
Johnny Vaughan
Sun Online

It seems certain Whitaker will get that Oscar nod for superbly conveying Amin’s weird mix of buffoonery and cold-bloodedness.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
01/12/07
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

Whitaker fully captures the menace of the man who murdered more than 300,000 of his fellow citizens, but also - and this is the difficult part - his humour, charm and charisma.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
01/12/07
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, confident, dramatically satisfying movie from Macdonald, and incidentally another triumph for Peter Morgan, for whom the period now seems to offer any amount of rich material.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
01/12/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Amin, rather discomfitingly, is a marvellous monster.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
01/12/07
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There’s a nihilistic and unmistakeable whiff of Apocalypse Now about the last wild reel, and the carnage left over by the Israeli raid on Entebbe airport.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
01/12/07
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Starting as a lively adventure, this film slowly twists into a haunting and unforgettable thriller, using real life events to tell a devastatingly powerful story.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
01/10/07
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Both an enthralling examination of a horrific time and an adrenalin-filled thriller full of wry humour.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/04/07
Liz Beardsworth
Liz Beardsworth
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Whitaker’s dedicated, nuanced performance is excellent and lifts the film from some unsteady early moments.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/19/06
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... if Whitaker doesn't get an Oscar nomination there is officially no justice.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/19/06
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Pit stop for white liberal guilt and neocolonial pillaging

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/28/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Brian Marder
Brian Marder
Hollywood.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Last King of Scotland

October 03, 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 stars Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker. More...

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The action-thriller Wanted hits theaters this week, and though it's toplined by one of the biggest stars in the world (Angelina Jolie), it also features a young Scotsman who's... More...

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November 14, 2007: British Screenwriters Voice Support for Writers' Strike
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