The Last King of Scotland

The environment of Uganda and the figure of Idi Amin are about the only two things that are real here. Everything else is thought up in an uninteresting and often played out story about a naïve young man who falls under the spell of personality, only to snap out of it on time, uncover crimes, and so on. The main character is an unlikeable lout and the only thing that makes him bearable is the charismatic McAvoy, although he has absolutely nothing to work with. This is not the case with Forest Whitaker, but an actor of his stature is somehow expected to play such an impressively rewarding role without overdoing it. The atrocities of Amin's government call for many strong scenes; unfortunately there is an absolute minimum of them here and the film begins to work only in the final twenty minutes. And that's more because of classic thriller tropes than the depiction of real events. This is a huge shame that unnecessarily relegates the film to the role of a reminder that someone like Amin once existed; and if you want to know something more, you will have to do your own research. The creators cleverly managed to cover up the low budget through editing, and the result is visually appealing enough. The Last King of Scotland is a movie that is interesting only because of Whitaker's performance. And even that is not so memorable. To be completely honest, he has many better roles to his credit. (2007-02-13)

A film I had been eagerly anticipating, and one that I believed in as much as only a handful of other films even before seeing it. I think the film's potential was fully realized here—when you take such a gripping real-life history with actual characters and pair it with an experienced director, there’s little chance the final result would fall flat. Forest Whitaker is hands down the best part of the film; his portrayal of the general was unpredictable, and when you add the undeniable charisma this actor possesses, it’s clear that the Oscar was already in his pocket that year. And the casting nailed the physical resemblance! At first glance, it might seem like James McAvoy was playing in his shadow, but don’t be fooled, as he also delivers a performance worthy of a full ten out of ten (though he might have been even more convincing in Split). The film boasts captivating locations where it was shot. When you combine those with the actors and a story full of tense moments and twists, you’re guaranteed an excellent two-hour experience. I give it 86%. (2017-09-01)

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% (2017-11-16)

When the best thing about a whole movie is the main character's shirt, something is wrong. To be fair, though, there are two scenes that make this nonsense is survivable: the initial disposal of Castle's family has a certain amount of impact, and the fight with the Russian muscle-head to the accompaniment of an operatic aria, which is not without its comic exaggeration. The rest, full of ridiculous, pathetic poses, does not do credit to the creators, nor to the fluffy and dynamic comic book premise itself. Although I think Travolta shouldn't climb in front of the camera anymore, here he was mysteriously tolerable, while the mediocre Thomas Jane might not need a Shakespearean training for such a role, but I resisted the onslaught of my diaphragm every time I saw his badass face. But during the scene when the elevator goes up and there's Thomas turning on it, with a taut body under his tattered tank top and a harsh look on his face, I burst out laughing, I really couldn't help it :) (2007-07-06)

I expected it to mainly focus on Forest Whitaker's performance, which is partly true, but the film has a story that actually surprised me. I didn't expect anything from it, but it's not that bad. At least at first. It seems like several interesting storylines are unfolding here, but in the end, attention almost blindly focuses only on the insane dictator portrayed excellently by Whitaker. It's a shame because story-wise, it's a missed opportunity. Surprisingly, the film isn't even as gritty as I expected. Or am I really that numb to it by now? (2014-04-02)