garylampkin **NO SPOILERS** This movie is a fictionalized, biopic period piece about Idi Amin, an African military despot who came to power in Uganda in the early '70's, who then quickly starts an undeniable, almost unfathomably, reign of terror. I was in High School when the real Idi Amin came into power, and remember well the news reports of the mass killings, torture and mutilations, and the political decay of the country due to his corrupt regime. The direction is adequate, cinematography and art direction good, decent script and a plot that moves along without any real hiccups. The movie is a 7 that gets upgraded to an 8 on the power of Forest Whitaker's Oscar winning performance. I liked this movie a lot in 2006(and just bought it on Blu-Ray)on the large screen , in spite of James McAvoy- the fictional Dr. Garrigan, who smiles his way through 95% of the movie, and even looks high on something in a number of scenes. Unfortunately, this was a poor casting job in my opinion, and McAvoy at times is distracting. They hit a home-run with Forest and supporting cast, and fouled out to the catcher with McAvoy. My dislike of McAvoy has been reaffirmed with his overplayed part in the X-Men series. That said, this is a movie worth watching if only to see a great actor in a perfect roll to highlight his skills, and see an Oscar worthy performance. Even knowing the real history behind the man, the story creates some tension as to when his diabolical side would come out. Considering Whitaker's body of work(The Crying Game, Ghost Dog, Panic Room and some great TV roles) I'm somewhat surprised he hasn't taken home more than this one Best Actor statue. Who knows, he is a very busy actor, and still has time to bag another one. Check this movie out if you haven't seen it yet, and yes the "R" rating is well deserved- definitely not for the kiddies.

berryberry32 This is a story about a man who has been graduated from a medical school in Scotland, whose name is Nicholas. Nicholas is a made-up character. He randomly chooses Uganda to go to look for what he signing to be. At that time, Uganda is controlled by Idi Amin, who is a real character, as a monarchy. By a chance, Nicholas helps Amin by medical treating and becomes a primary doctor and live a wealthy life. Amin even asks about the government decision to Nicholas. Nicholas gradually realizes the problem of The Government by Amin. In my opinion, the characteristic of Nicholas is very normal as a young guy these days. Young people tend to look for easy ways to be rich. The movie tells that being calm and see what is really a good and proper way. I don't really like the scenes with violence with a grotesque visuals. Over all, this is an very interesting movie.

Python Hyena The Last King of Scotland (2006): Dir: Kevin MacDonald / Cast: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington, Simon McBurney: Observant yet disturbing film about a Scottish doctor who travels to Uganda and ends up as the physician of the Ugandan President until discovering his true nature. Set in 1970 and directed by Kevin MacDonald who presents a culture of slavery within the illusion of freedom. Certain elements are predictable such as the doctor having an affair with one of the President's three wives. Otherwise the film holds together thanks to a menacing performance by Forest Whitaker. He gives off charm in his introduction but his true nature eventually sets in where intimidation haunts in resemblance of his image. James McAvoy is fantastic as the young doctor who gets caught up in the forbidden and suffers consequences. He will have to survive so to reveal the havoc in the Uganda territory. Kerry Washington portrays one of the wives who ends up pregnant and eventually in fatal trouble. Gillian Anderson plays a married woman whom McAvoy gets involved with but the role is the most underwritten. This is a well crafted film that really captures the era as well as create tension for the protagonist. It regards how leadership can deceive and how standing up for what is right can ultimately humble you. Score: 8 ½ / 10

jimbo-53-186511 Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) is a newly qualified doctor who heads out to Uganda to work at one of their rural hospitals with a couple of British doctors. Along the way he strikes up a friendship with President/General Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Garrigan ends up working for Amin as his physician and one of his closest advisors. British doctor Sarah Merritt (Gillian Anderson) tries to warn Garrigan that Amin may not be all that he seems, but Garrigan refuses to listen. However, as time passes Garrigan begins to notice Amin's increasingly erratic behaviour and starts to discover exactly who he's working for.I'm a fairly young pup so I wasn't alive during Amin's evil regime. For that reason I'm not really in a position to comment on how well Whitaker portrays Amin. However, I am in a position to judge his on-screen performance and I must say that he was outstanding. Like many of the great 'method' actors, Whitaker stayed in character both on set and off set and also put on an extra 50 pound of weight for the role. Whitaker is a good actor generally, but I really think this role meant a lot to him and his hard work paid off with a thoroughly deserved Oscar win. Whitaker's chilling portrayal was nothing short of incredible and is easily the best performance that I've seen from him. McAvoy is good here, but at this point in his career I still think he was a little rough around the edges - although I must admit he has improved over time. I still find it hard to believe that a fairly big Hollywood actor like McAvoy used to star in UK based sitcom Early Doors which is set in my neck of the woods in Manchester.I did have a couple of minor issues with this film; I thought that the British doctors were a little under-used and contributed next to nothing to the film. It's possible Macdonald may have cast them in the film because Amin had British doctors working for him although this is unclear. The film also had a sleazy edge to it that it perhaps did not need. I also thought the ending was perhaps a bit too 'Hollywood' but it was at least fairly exciting.Overall then there is a lot to recommend here. The film is well-shot with some very nice cinematography. Whitaker's performance was incredible and the film itself moved along fairly well considering its 120 minute length. It may not be totally accurate, but it's a powerful film that is well worth watching.