The Last King of Scotland DVD Review

In The Last King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance as Idi Amin, the sometimes brutal, sometimes charming, always eccentric dictator of Uganda during the 1970s. The movie is serviceable as a political thriller, and some scenes are very good. But the plot feels contrived, and the film has little depth and not much emotional or intellectual resonance. Nevertheless, the movie is worth seeing because of the acting, the location shooting and the importance of the subject matter. The DVD provides an informative audio commentary by the director, deleted scenes and three featurettes.

In The Last King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance as Idi Amin, the sometimes brutal, sometimes charming, always eccentric dictator of Uganda during the 1970s. Another strength of the film is the location shooting in Kampala, Uganda's photogenic capital city.

The central character is the fictional Nicholas Garrigan (well-played by James McAvoy), a callow Scotsman who graduates med school and goes to Uganda seeking adventure. He accepts the job of personal physician to Idi Amin, the country's charismatic new leader. But as the foolish Garrigan slowly grasps that he's working for a monster, he takes a course of action that provokes the wrath of the cruel dictator.

The movie is serviceable as a political thriller, although it's not all that suspenseful or exciting. Some scenes are very good indeed, but the plot feels contrived, and the film has little depth and not much emotional or intellectual resonance. Nevertheless, the movie is worth seeing because of the acting, the location shooting and the importance of the subject matter.

Perhaps the best DVD extra is the 29-minute "Capturing Idi Amin," which is about the filmmakers creating their version of the real-life historical figure. There are two other featurettes — one six minutes long, the other eight — on Forest Whitaker, who portrays Amin in the movie.

Also, the DVD provides an informative feature-length audio commentary by director Kevin Macdonald. He supplies details about locations, how things went during the shoot, soundtrack music, and supplementary facts about Amin and his times. Finally, the DVD contains seven deleted scenes with optional director commentary.