The Last King of Scotland

I expected it to mainly focus on Forest Whitaker's performance, which is partly true, but the film has a story that actually surprised me. I didn't expect anything from it, but it's not that bad. At least at first. It seems like several interesting storylines are unfolding here, but in the end, attention almost blindly focuses only on the insane dictator portrayed excellently by Whitaker. It's a shame because story-wise, it's a missed opportunity. Surprisingly, the film isn't even as gritty as I expected. Or am I really that numb to it by now? (02/04/2014)

An ordinary low-budget film with a serious and interesting theme, a captivating performance by Forest Whitaker, and a few rougher scenes, other than that, it is uninteresting. The linear plot has many dull moments, it is quite predictable, and only occasionally does a more intense scene ruffle the waters. I understand the Oscar nomination, but otherwise, this film doesn't have higher ambitions. It's nice that it's based on a true story, but that doesn't guarantee success, although I have no doubt that this symbolic “guarantee of an interesting spectacle” will find its fans, who will defend it to the death. Honestly, it didn't entertain me. (04/08/2008)

The environment of Uganda and the figure of Idi Amin are about the only two things that are real here. Everything else is thought up in an uninteresting and often played out story about a naïve young man who falls under the spell of personality, only to snap out of it on time, uncover crimes, and so on. The main character is an unlikeable lout and the only thing that makes him bearable is the charismatic McAvoy, although he has absolutely nothing to work with. This is not the case with Forest Whitaker, but an actor of his stature is somehow expected to play such an impressively rewarding role without overdoing it. The atrocities of Amin's government call for many strong scenes; unfortunately there is an absolute minimum of them here and the film begins to work only in the final twenty minutes. And that's more because of classic thriller tropes than the depiction of real events. This is a huge shame that unnecessarily relegates the film to the role of a reminder that someone like Amin once existed; and if you want to know something more, you will have to do your own research. The creators cleverly managed to cover up the low budget through editing, and the result is visually appealing enough. The Last King of Scotland is a movie that is interesting only because of Whitaker's performance. And even that is not so memorable. To be completely honest, he has many better roles to his credit. (13/02/2007)

A great Forest Whitaker, an underused James McAvoy (shame on the writers for ditching the main character like that!), a nice African setting, an even nicer Gillian Anderson... But the promised drama was where, exactly? Not that I was downright disappointed, but the film is completely lacking anything that should have shocked me or made me think "Wow, that Amin, what a monster..." Of course, I have no desire to see hundreds of thousands of people murdered, but what was it about The Last King of Scotland that was supposed to impress me? The final half hour or so? Yes, it was impressive. Explanatory captions with the number of victims of Amin's atrocity? Nope. (07/12/2012)

A brilliant film that somewhat exceeded my expectations, and you don't have to go far to find the main reasons. The depiction of the real events is very well done and the film not only goes by quickly but also builds up very impressively. Moreover, the atmosphere is strengthened by the serious political premise from a socially very unstable and tense setting, and in particular by the excellent performance of Forest Whitaker, who exudes incredible authority and generates unpleasant chills from the very first second. James McAvoy isn't lagging behind either, and he puts his life on the line, but it's Whitaker who steals the show and ultimately all the awards for himself. At first I had some sympathy for his character, but by the end I wanted to wring his neck. And that is what acting is mainly about. 85% (23/01/2013)