NoFace for Film

Title: The Last King of Scotland
Year: 2006
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Starring: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, and Gillian Anderson
Rated: R

Review by: Matt H.

NoFace for Film rating: 7 out of 7

Perfection is a rare commodity no matter where you look. In no place is this fact put to the test more, than in Hollywood. As a general rule, Hollywood films are “pretty good” at their best and “utterly forgettable” the other 93% of the time. The Last King of Scotland is the great, glaring exception to that rule. This film represents the metaphoric cream of the crop, the pot of gold at the end of the (sadly fading) rainbow, the great white whale, finding a golden ticket.

The greatness begins with the story. Based on a 1998 novel of the same name, the tale unfolds through the eyes of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) as he seeks adventure and to shake his father’s daunting shadow by plying his trade in the wilds of Uganda. Swept up in the fervor of a recent coup, Dr. Garrigan soon finds himself face to face with the newly implanted president, General Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) and sooner still finds himself employed as personal physician to the self styled “Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular”. As his influence steadily increases, Dr. Garrigan begins to see through the veil of palace life and becomes all too aware of the savage brutality and stunning severity of his frighteningly charming employer. Giles Foden, the novel’s author, as well as Jeremy Brock and Peter Morgan (screenwriters) do an uncanny justice to the material in placing the fictional character of Nicholas Garrigan seamlessly into the fabric of the all too real Amin regime.

Forest Whitaker earned every ounce of his Oscar (not to mention Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA, Image) portraying Idi Amin, showing the humanity and manic hostility of the monstrous Ugandan president. His performance alone is worth the price of admission, ’nuff said.

The setup, direction, and execution of this film, as stated briefly above, was spot on thanks to the director, Kevin Macdonald. Never heard of him? Shame on you. Macdonald is an award (Oscar, BAFTA, etc) winning documentarian with the creds and apparently the chops to bring such a grand and disturbing character from recent history back to life, as much as we may not want him back. In this his first non-documentary full length feature film, Macdonald uses his already formidable talent behind the camera to demonstrate how great films are shot. Macdonald uses equipment, techniques, and a vintage style to show the true face of Uganda in the seventies. You get the sense of almost watching news footage from behind enemy lines, which draws you closer and closer still to the action and the people making the huge events take place in a personal setting. Hollywood directors take note: Kevin Macdonald has got you beat, time to catch up.

I know that “perfect” is a hard pill to swallow and is frequently misleading or a bit of a cringe inducer, but it is best way to describe this film. The only real flaw is that it wasn’t nominated for best picture, director, adapted screenplay, etc. Bottom line: watch this movie, even if you’re not too keen on the subject matter, the experience will convince you that great films are still possible. If you like Forest Whitaker in this you may also want to check out Ghost Dog, Bird, and Panic Room. If you appreciate the style, track down Touching the Void, One Day in September, and Chaplin’s Goliath, just few examples of Kevin Macdonald’s brilliant storytelling. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: The Last King of Scotland, General Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy