The Last King of Scotland (2006)

[spoiler]

Overview

Director:
Kevin Macdonald

Writers:
Peter Morgan (screenplay)
Jeremy Brock (screenplay)

Release Date:
12 January 2007 (UK)

Genre:
Drama / Thriller

Plot Outline:
Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s more

Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)

Forest Whitaker    …     Idi Amin

James McAvoy    …     Dr. Nicholas Garrigan

Kerry Washington    …     Kay Amin

Gillian Anderson    …     Sarah Merrit

Simon McBurney    …     Stone

David Oyelowo    …     Dr. Junju
Stephen Rwangyezi    …     Jonah Wasswa
Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga    …     Masanga (as Abby Mukiibi)
Adam Kotz    …     Dr. Merrit
Sam Okelo    …     Bonny
Sarah Nagayi    …     Tolu
Chris Wilson    …     Perkins
Dr. Dick Stockley    …     Times Journalist
Barbara Rafferty    …     Mrs. Garrigan
David Ashton    …     Dr. Garrigan (senior)

[/spoiler]

Right, I have to get a rant out of the way before I start to review the film itself.

This is not a true story and is misleading with it’s ‘Based on true events’ introduction.  I spent this film thinking, “Wow, truth really is stranger than fiction”, accepting that some parts of it will have been embellished.  In fact I was so taken with it that I did some background reading after watching it.

The simple fact is that none of this story is true.  The true parts?  Some of the background events.  As for the characters and anything and everything that happens, pure fiction.  This really annoyed me having been mislead.  So much so that it ruined what I had watched after finding this out.

Now on with the review.

Having said what I have said above, I can say that this film is an above average thriller, carried further by the great performance of Forest Whittaker.   The story is of course unbelievable after taking the misleading ‘based on’ tag out of the equation.  But as a dramatic thriller it isn’t half bad.

Enough said.