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Movies / Upcoming / The Last King of Scotland
The Last King of Scotland

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The Last King of Scotland (2006)

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Reviews Counted:176

Fresh:153

Rotten:23

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: Forest Whitaker's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $17,449,410

Synopsis: Forest Whitaker delivers a ferociously commanding performance as bloodthirsty Ugandan president Idi Amin in Kevin MacDonald's THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Adapted from the novel by Giles Foden, the... Forest Whitaker delivers a ferociously commanding performance as bloodthirsty Ugandan president Idi Amin in Kevin MacDonald's THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Adapted from the novel by Giles Foden, the film recounts Amin's horrific reign through the eyes of a fictional character, Nick Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young doctor from Scotland who travels to Uganda hoping to do some good. Nick is more sanguine about new president Amin than is his counterpart Sarah Merrit (Gillian Armstrong), whose experience causes her to be skeptical of Amin's bombastic declarations. After an automobile accident, Nick is called in to treat the president's wounds. His authoritative behavior impresses Amin, who charms Nick into becoming his personal physician. Nick embraces his newfound life of luxury, but he is unable to grasp the reality of the situation. When he does finally realize the atrocities Amin is inflicting upon his people (and is also capable of inflicting on Nick), the terrified doctor tries to make a frantic escape before it's too late. MacDonald, director of the acclaimed documentaries ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER and TOUCHING THE VOID, makes a startlingly assured transition into fictional filmmaking with THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Working with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (THE CELEBRATION) and editor Justine Wright, MacDonald brings 1970s Uganda to pulsating life, perfectly recreating that tumultuous era. But ultimately the film belongs to Whitaker: as he shifts from charming to maniacal in the space of a short, unexpected breath, he infuses Amin with startling humanity. [More]

Starring: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, David Oyelowo

Starring: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, David Oyelowo, Kerry Washington, Simon McBurney

Director: Kevin MacDonald

Director: Kevin MacDonald
Screenwriter: Peter Morgan, Jeremy Brock
Producer: Andrea Calderwood, Lisa Bryer, Charles Steel
Composer: Alex Heffes
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for The Last King of Scotland

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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The horror, when it finally moves to the centre of the screen, gives us Amin's barbarity in close-up -- and he's still smiling.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
02/02/07
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Forest Whitaker's towering performance as Idi Amin is frighteningly realistic, in his portrayal of the larger-than-life violent, madman dictator president of Uganda.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/25/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A solid dramatic thriller in its own right is lifted into higher territory by superb performances, intriguing subject matter, and impressive direction

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
10/10/06
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pit stop for white liberal guilt and neocolonial pillaging

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/28/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Brian Marder
Brian Marder
Hollywood.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

Whitaker pulls off a spectacular thespian coup that has Oscar-winner stamped all over it.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
06/25/08
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
Channel 4 Film

Would Kanye West say that The Last King of Scotland doesn't care about black people?

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
04/05/08
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

Whitaker portrays Amin as funny, vulnerable, tender and enigmatic -- all without ever letting us forget he was a maniacal monster.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

film postaje daleko mra%u010Dniji nego %u0161to su to njegovi autori imali u plan

Full Review Source: Index.hr | comment Comment
06/22/07
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
Index.hr

it's Whitaker that kept the film alive when everyone was handing him Best Actor statuettes

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
06/05/07
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

...Whitaker's superb work remains the highlight of an otherwise routine effort.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
06/04/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Historical fantasy rules in Hollywood's Africa.

Full Review Source: WBAI Web Radio | comment Comment
04/21/07
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
WBAI Web Radio

It's a deconstruction of Idi Amin's persona, played with such dedication by Whitaker the surrounding narrative feels without purpose.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
03/15/07
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

There is surprise in Whitaker's step, with a curtain of menace running beneath it. His is one of the fiercest, least predictable performances of 2006, so fully on edge that he becomes the movie's edge.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
03/05/07
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

The four highly diverse leads are uniformly excellent.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Frank Lovece
Frank Lovece
Film Journal International

Whitaker brings us close to Amin, yet he never allows us to actually become comfortable around the man. His Amin is capricious and unpredictable, a personality that can seem volcanic one moment and vulnerable a few minutes later.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
02/09/07
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

La película vale la pena sobre todo por la imponente actuación de Forest Whitaker, igualmente encantador o amenazante en la piel de uno de los dictadores más sanguinarios de África.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
02/07/07
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

Two terrific performances cap this interesting historical perspective on ruthless dictator Idi Amin.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
02/07/07
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Latest News for The Last King of Scotland

October 03, 2008: Further Reading: Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker in Abel Ferrara's Mary
As the NFT in London prepares a Juliette Binoche season, Kim looks at Abel Ferrara's Mary which also stars Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker. More...

June 25, 2008: Wanted's James McAvoy: His Best-Reviewed Films
The action-thriller Wanted hits theaters this week, and though it's toplined by one of the biggest stars in the world (Angelina Jolie), it also features a young Scotsman who's... More...

December 06, 2007: James McAvoy on Atonement: The RT Interview
Scottish actor James McAvoy has shot several films in the last few years (Becoming Jane, The Last King of Scotland, and the eagerly anticipated Wanted) but so far remains most... More...

November 14, 2007: British Screenwriters Voice Support for Writers' Strike
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain has a message for Hollywood studios hoping to use British talent to scab over the Writers' Guild of America strike, and it isn't the message... More...

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