The Last King of Scotland Review
by Clint Morris
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I know it sounds about as tempting as teabagging with a
famished razorback – yeah I know, ouch! – but thankfully there's still
such a thing as a disingenuous title. And thank god, there's - like the
abovesaid swine- still film out there with some real teeth.
Responsible
for much of the film's tight bite is actor Forest Whitaker who has
finally emerged from the world of supporting roles – he’s played second
fiddle in everything from Good Morning Vietnam (1987), Species (1995) and Panic Room (2002) – to captain his own ship.
But to this title. Like the recent Little Children and Catch a Fire, The Last King of Scotland
is another of these films whose title doesn’t fit with its content. At
the end of each of respective film, the title starts to make sense –
it’s ‘smart’ ya see? – but many (especially those who haven’t got the
Apple Quicktime trailers page book marked) will no doubt will be very
surprised by what’s on offer here. Rob Roy 2 this ain’t.
So what is this King movie, about? In the same vein as Elizabeth,
perhaps? Nope. Far from it. In fact, it’s not even about a King of
Scotland per say - but more so, the President of Uganda – a charming
but malevolent beast who polluted the country with his sinister motives
and self-conceited interests in the early 80s.
Whitaker plays real-life character Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, and James McAvoy (The Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe)
plays the Scottish doctor (that’s where the ‘Scotland’ part comes in,
ya see?) Nicholas Garrigan – he’s fictional - who develops a rather
curious friendship with the tyrant. As all wrongdoers usually are, Amin
is exposed as the animal he is – he’s basically a cold-blooded murderer
– but Nicholas is so in deep with him (and one of his wives – ahem!),
that getting out of the country with his life is going to be like
flogging a DVD from K-Mart and not having the detector go off when you
walk through the exit. Rather impossible, yeah.
This is such an
intriguing movie – it’s a very compelling story, even though it’s
partly illusory – and largely due to the performances. They are
terrific. McAvoy’s believable and likable as the conflicted Nicholas,
former X-Files star
Gillian Anderson (haven’t seen her for a while have we?) has an
undeveloped though interesting part as a fellow English doctor, and
Kerry Washington excels as the false-hearted wife who begins an affair
with the young GP. But the real star of this show is Forest Whitaker –
in what it likely to be his magnum opus, and calling card, for the rest
of his career.
Here, Whitaker immerses himself in the role of
the mad dictator – you can see the insanity in his eyes; and when he
speaks you listen – and unlike many star performances in films like
this, he makes you ‘forget’ you’re watching an actor and instead, helps
believe you’re watching vintage video of the President himself. It’s
the best performance of his career – and one of the best turns you’re
likely to see in a movie this year. In another actor’s hands the
performance mightn’t have been as effective – but Whitaker is able to
display a varied range of emotions that not only resonates with the
audience, but also rings true. 4 out
of 5 The Last King of Scotland
Australian
release: 1st February,
2007
Cast: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Simon McBurney
Director: Kevin MacDonald
Website: Click
here.
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