When a leader commands as much conviction in his voice as Forest Whitaker does as Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland,” you don’t ask why the man thinks or acts the way he does; you just go along with the ride.
Director Kevin Macdonald and screenwriter Peter Morgan are more than happy to take us on this historical journey through 1970s Uganda, when Ugandan President and army general Idi Amin ruled the country with an iron fist. We see the events unfold through the eyes of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a stifled young man from Scotland looking to escape into the world and do some good.
It does seem to be a trend in historical biopics like these to view the most interesting character, in this case, Amin, from the outside and not as the protagonist. And although we get a richly complex character in Amin, the main story is about a boy who was once sheltered at home and was then ironically sheltered in one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Garrigan began work at a missionary until one day the President visited their town and he was called upon to help when the President was injured in a car accident. He made an impression on Amin and gave him his Scotland rugby shirt and was later hired to be the president’s chief doctor and closest, “personal advisor.”
So the images we see of Uganda do not become tragic until somewhat late in the film. Amin is so nurturing, happy and spontaneous around Garrigan that both the character and the audience are blinded to what he is capable of. The difference is that we as an audience know better, so we see the subtle irony when Amin picks up a baseball bat and only we know the power he has to use it.
Both Morgan and Macdonald have a real knack for history. For Macdonald, this was his debut feature after making a series of documentaries including the critically acclaimed “Touching the Void.” As for Morgan, he’s really blossomed as a screenwriter in the 21st Century since this film, penning a number of historical dramas all richly characterized and drawn, including “The Queen,” “Frost/Nixon,” “The Damned United,” “The Other Boleyn Girl” and “Hereafter.”
But the real standout of course is Oscar winner Forest Whitaker. Like Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech,” all of Whitaker’s work is visible on the screen. He channels Amin’s ferocity and simultaneously convinces us of his multi-layered good nature. Whitaker’s fiery work is more than deserving of his Oscar.
Although a better movie could’ve been told from the eyes of Amin directly, “The Last King of Scotland” remains a fun and informative historical biopic with as much life as Amin himself.
3 ½ stars