But ultimately the film belongs to Whitaker: as he shifts from charming to maniacal in the space of a short, unexpected breath, he infuses Amin with startling humanity. Working with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (THE CELEBRATION) and editor Justine Wright, MacDonald brings 1970s Uganda to pulsating life, perfectly recreating that tumultuous era. When he does finally realize the atrocities Amin is inflicting upon his people (and is also capable of inflicting on Nick), the terrified doctor tries to make a frantic escape before it's too late.MacDonald, director of the acclaimed documentaries ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER and TOUCHING THE VOID, makes a startlingly assured transition into fictional filmmaking with THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Nick embraces his newfound life of luxury, but he is unable to grasp the reality of the situation. His authoritative behavior impresses Amin, who charms Nick into becoming his personal physician. After an automobile accident, Nick is called in to treat the president's wounds. Nick is more sanguine about new president Amin than is his counterpart Sarah Merrit (Gillian Armstrong), whose experience causes her to be skeptical of Amin's bombastic declarations. Adapted from the novel by Giles Foden, the film recounts Amin's horrific reign through the eyes of a fictional character, Nick Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young doctor from Scotland who travels to Uganda hoping to do some good.

Forest Whitaker delivers a ferociously commanding performance as bloodthirsty Ugandan president Idi Amin in Kevin MacDonald's THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND.

Amin even reportedly offered to show Queen Elizabeth II all the naughty things he could do with his flesh scepter, telling her in a telex: 'Dear Liz, if you want to know a real man, come to Kampala.' However, beneath this flagrant nuttiness was a shrewd and vicious killer, who allegedly kept the heads of his enemies in a refrigerator. He played Scottish music for visiting dignitaries, offered to liberate Scotland from British rule, and wore a kilt to a Saudi royal funeral. His official title was a mouthful: 'His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea, and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.'īut in his kaleidoscope of colorful labels, the one that stands out the most is 'uncrowned King of Scotland,' which Amin officially adopted in 1976. As described in Prominent African Leaders Since Independence, Amin declared himself a 'professor of geography,' the 'king of Africa,' and pretty much the king of everywhere else. The names he gave himself were far more charitable.

According to ThoughtCo, people called him the 'Butcher of Uganda.' When Amin died in 2003, the BBC dubbed him 'the buffoon tyrant' in a scathing obituary. Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was a man of many titles and epithets.

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