Description

Length: 123 mins

Age: 15+

Described by a BBC review as “A successful intertwining of fact and fiction” the movie, The Last King Of Scotland documents the life of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, played by Forest Whitaker (formerly peace loving Bubba in the movie Forest Gump).

The movie is centered around young medic, Garrigan (a made-up character from Giles Foden’s novel, McAvoy’s Nicholas), who graduates from med school in Scotland and seeks adventure at a Christian missionary clinic in Uganda. Through Garrigan, we experience Uganda during the 1970s under the dictatorship of Amin and discover the ruthlessness and violence of his leadership.

Through his fondness for Scotland and inspired by Garrigan’s reaction to a mortally injured cow, Amin inivites the medic to become his personal physician and to take charge of modernising the country’s health care system.

A trusted friendship ensues, despite Garrigan’s awareness of the issues in the country, opting to believe Amin’s explanations. It is not until Garrigan forms a relationship with Amin’s youngest wife that the ‘friendship’ is tested and Garrigan realizes that all is not as he sees. When Garrigan comes into contact with his lover’s mutilated body he realizes the full extent of Amins violence and inhumanity.

Arrested and tortured under Amin’s orders, Garrigan is rescued by a fellow medic, requesting that he tell the world about the truth about Amin – “They will believe you. You are a white man.”

The movie is gripping, and oftentimes violent, reflecting the reality of a cruel and callous individual that took the lives of some 300,000 of his fellow Ugandan’s.