The Last King of Scotland

A decent film from an exotic setting with a young James McAvoy as a doctor and Forest Whitaker as a dictator in Kampala. I was expecting something grittier and more intense due to the theme and the harsh setting, but thankfully I didn't slip into boredom. Still, the film left me somewhat cold. 65% (16/11/2017)

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)

I was expecting it to be mainly about Forest Whitaker's performance, which is also partly true, but the film has a story that surprised me quite a bit. I didn't expect anything from it, but it's not that bad. At least not in the beginning. It seems like there will be several interesting storylines here, but in the end, the attention, almost blindly, focuses only on the mad dictator in Whitaker's excellent portrayal. It's a shame, story-wise it's an unused opportunity. Surprisingly, the film is not as harsh as I expected. Or am I really so numb? (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)