I enjoy writing about all sorts really. I love travel and am pregnant at the moment so expect a lot ...
I enjoy writing about all sorts really. I love travel and am pregnant at the moment so expect a lot of baby reviews to come. I also post on Dooyoo under the name Whizz11
Member since:07.09.2007
Reviews:402
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The Last King of Scotland is a story, inspired by real people and events about the life of the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. The film came out in 2006 and was one that I really enjoyed. In my opinion it's well portrayed, beautifully acted, tense and gripping and one you really have to watch.
Idi Amin is played by Forest Whitaker and he gives a truly haunting portrail. He's really quite scary in this film at the same time as being really captivating and interesting and it's no coincidence that people fall for his charms. I think he actually bears a little resembalance to the dictator himself and so this definitely made the look and character more believeable. In fact, it's not jsut me who thinks Forest did a great job. He won the Best Actor award at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild and the BAFTAs for his role as Amin, not bad huh!
The story itself is told from the viewpoint of Nicholas Garrigan a young Scotsman who becomes the volatile leader's personal physician. Micholas is played by James McAvoy. He has come a long way in recent years to become a really great British actor. He's not the cutest actor in my opinion but I think this allows him to play roles where he can be taken seriously and put in a great performance. He has something about him though that really keeps you watching and wanting more from his character.
At first Garrigan loves his new life in Uganda and his position as most trusted friend of Amin but things slowly turn out for the worse and Garrigan finds himself living a disaster. It's really quite scary how things turn for him and you can really imagine it being your worst nightmare with what looks like no way to get out.
The film was actually adapted from a book by Giles Foden of the same name. The title comes from the fact that Amin has a great love for all things Scottish and actually proclaims himself, "The Last King of Scotland."
I think the scenery and countryside contributed to this story as well. It was great to see a different culture and country in view and all the things that took palce there. I think it also help the reader to better understand just what the population of Uganda went through during these terrible times.
The DVD is rated 15 as it contains strong violence, gruesome images, sex and language. I did find this film quite gruesome but I think it needed to be to tell the story properly but definitely not one I recommend for kids. The film runs for approximately 117 minutes and special features include 7 deleted scenes, exclusive documentary and a Forest Whitaker Idi Amin featurette.
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
As the evil Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance ... more
inThe Last King of Scotland. Powerfully illustrating the terrible truth that absolute power corrupts absolutely, this fictionalised chronicle of Amin's rise and f...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
As Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives one of the great performances of ... more
modern movie history (The Wall Street Journal), one that the Associated Press calls nothing short of OSCAR worthy. This is Amin's incredible story as seen through the ...
As the evil Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance ... more
inThe Last King of Scotland. Powerfully illustrating the terrible truth that absolute power corrupts absolutely, this fictionalised chronicle of Amin's rise and f...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
A Scottish doctor on a Ugandan medical mission becomes irreversibly entangled with one of ... more
the world's most barbaric figures: Idi Amin. Impressed by Dr. Garrigan's brazen attitude in a moment of crisis the newly self-appointed Ugandan President Amin ha...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: An all star cast give the film the gravitas it deserves Disadvantages: I would liked to have seen more glimpses into the politics of the region
Advantages: An amazing central performance from Whitaker, strong direction, characterisation and writing. Disadvantages: Some characters are clear plot devices.