Forest Whitaker's Oscar Winning Performance

Section: Talent

Kam Williams

The Last King of Scotland
DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Forest Whitaker�s Oscar-Winning Performance as Idi Amin Out on DVD
This fairly-faithful adaptation of the best selling novel of the same name
was directed by Kevin MacDonald who must be credited with coaxing an
Oscar-winning performance out of Forest Whitaker, even if in service of a
mediocre melodrama. For while Whitaker�s interpretation of Idi Amin is
admittedly mesmerizing, what�s nevertheless disappointing is the script�s
reluctance to humanize its antagonist, settling instead to portray him as
that stereotypical mental patient (ala Hannibal Lector) who alternates
unpredictably between the polar opposites of a refined charm and sheer
brutality.
The picture co-stars James McAvoy as Dr. Nicholas Garrigan, a recent med
school grad who arrives in the country planning to practice among the poor.
However, after being recruited as the head-of-state personal physician, he
soon finds himself at the beck-and-call of Amin, serving also as a
confidante, sidekick and stand-in at the presidential palace.
Enjoying a Mercedes convertible and other considerable perks of his plumb
position, Garrigan initially has no problem with his job. But as evidence of
the wholesale ethnic cleansing unfolding across the countryside is gradually
revealed, he becomes acutely aware of his boss� penchant for cruelty and of
his own implied complicity as a medical mercenary. Then, when members of the
cabinet start disappearing, too, the doctor suddenly has a reason to fear
for his own safety, since he�s become infatuated with one of Amin�s
neglected wives (Kerry Washington).
More fiction than fact, The Last King of Scotland is less an historical
epic than an unlikely-buddy flick about a carefree adventurer completely
compromised and corrupted by the embodiment of evil. Recommended for the
opportunity to witness Whitaker at his very best, despite the fact the
gifted actor was restricted by a screenplay which failed to imbue his
character with a complex range of emotions or motivations.

Good (2 stars)
Rated R for sex, expletives, male and female frontal nudity, graphic
violence and gruesome images.
Running time: 121 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Theatrical trailer, international trailer, alternate scenes,
deleted scenes, director�s commentary, casting session, an Idi Amin
documentary, plus a Forest Whitaker featurette.