The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Idi Amin	Forest Whitaker	½
Nicholas Garrigan	James McAvoy
Kay Amin	Kerry Washington	½
Sarah Merrit	Gillian Anderson
Nigel Stone	Simon McBurney	½
Dr. Junju	David Oyelowo

Review

Award-winning documentarian Kevin Macdonald's account of the reign of Idi Amin and his relationship with fictional Scottish physician Nicholas Garrigan is an audacious mixture of fact and fiction helmed by Forest Whitaker's explosive performance in the title role. At its best, The Last King of Scotland is both harrowing and beautiful. The direction is incredibly stylish, and the characterizations and acting likewise. Still, the writing can't help but come off a wee bit plotted and convenient. We get the compulsory romance and the cliffhanger escape that unfortunately don't improve the film's integrity. I think Macdonald will feel his latter part didn't do the first justice. Even so, Whitaker's potency, McAvoy's talent, and some delicate touches from Macdonald make this an important peak at the infamous dictator. With a little more matter-of-factness, the film might also have been an important document.