The Bottom Line
Pros
- Film depicts an important chapter in world history
- Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance as dictator Idi Amin
- Movie features interesting location shooting in Uganda
Cons
- Film has little depth and not much emotional or intellectual resonance
- Plot feels extremely contrived
- Although billed as a thriller, the movie isn't all that suspenseful or exciting
Description
- DVD containing drama The Last King of Scotland (2006) about Ugandan dictator Idi Amin
- Forest Whitaker received Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Idi Amin
- Movie is based on novel by Giles Foden
- DVD provides feature-length audio commentary by director Kevin Macdonald
- DVD contains 7 deleted scenes (total run time = 12 min.) with optional director commentary
- DVD has 3 featurettes (total run time = 43 min.) about Idi Amin and Forest Whitaker
- MPAA rating: R for some strong violence and gruesome images, sexual content and language
- Feature film run time: 2 hours 3 minutes
- DVD release date: April 17, 2007
Guide Review - 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. 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.
