The Last King of Scotland

FLICK Portraying an historical person is never easy, but Forrest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance and captures the balance of playfulness and menace that is the former Ugandan leader, Idi Amin. James McAvoy plays the young, naïve doctor, Nicholas Garrigan (apparently a composite of several people), who is enamored with the generous gift-giving Amin, and becomes his personal physician. Whitaker deservedly won his Oscar, capping a year that included varied and intense performances on television in “The Shield” and “ER.” Co-screenwriters Peter Morgan (The Queen) and Jeremy Brock (Mrs. Brown) raise the shock level as the story proceeds but it’s the playful scenes in the first half of the film that are more successful. Both actors spar nicely with each other as their characters move from a jovial, almost affectionate friendship to one that is tension-filled, accenting the shifting environment surrounding them. And watching Whitaker as the friendly leader is even more unnerving given how we anticipate what is to come. The movie itself reflects this transition too, moving from the optimism of a new leader, with the ending closely becoming a horror thriller. But that's to be expected when you have a mass-murderer running the country. US DVD Release Date: April 17, 2007. My Score: 7.5 out of 10.