Posted by
Emmett of the Unblinking Eye on Thursday, October 12, 2006 12:22:06 AM
The Last King of Scotland is an astonishing movie with amazing performances by Forest Whitaker as the evil, paranoid and charismatic Idi Amin and James McAvoy as his young Scot doctor. This fictionalized account of Amin's tyrannical reign is beautifully photographed, eerily bizarre and, at times, horribly gruesome. It is not for the squeamish or the easily-offended, but it is truly a spectacular film.
Although Whitaker, an underappreciated actor who has starred in some great films (
Ghost Dog -- The Way of the Samurai (one of my all-time favorite odd movies),
Bird), supported many others (
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (close to his debut),
Platoon,
Good Morning, Vietnam and
The Crying Game, among many others) and had his share of stinkers (
Battlefield Earth), gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Amin, but it is McAvoy (best known, I suppose as Mr. Tumnus, the Faun in
The Chronicles of Narnia) who is the revelation. He gives a wonderful, nuanced performance as a Scot physician who realizes, too late, that he has hitched his wagon to a very wrong star.
It's in limited release at this time, but if you can find it, go see it. It's well worth your while.