HORROR Movie: IDI AMIN DADA, Coming To A Theater Near You

The flesh-eating, crocodile-feeding, savage-brute comes to life once
more, strutting his fat ass on the silver screen.

"Scenes of torture and its aftermath are excruciatingly hard to watch.
Structurally, the film unravels somewhat leading up to its climax.

But none of that deters from the power and majesty of Whitaker's
performance as one of history's most vicious megalomaniacs. Whitaker
is formidably compelling as a man whose quixotic temperament and
larger-than-life persona both fascinate and repel."

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http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2006-09-26-king-scotland-r...ew_x.ht

Cruelty and complicity are king in 'Scotland'

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

In a fall film season filled with pretenders and non-starters, The
Last King of Scotland features the first performance worthy of a
best-actor Oscar nomination.

Forest Whitaker is astoundingly multifaceted and convincing as Ugandan
dictator Idi Amin. In the performance of his career, he fully
inhabits the part of the barbaric and charismatic ruler.

The fictional story unfolds against the real events of Amin's rise to
power in the 1970s, when he was responsible for butchering 300,000
Ugandans.

The story, based on Giles Foden's novel, centers on Nicholas Garrigan,
a young doctor from Scotland (James McAvoy, The Chronicles of Narnia)
who moves to Africa not only out of a do-gooder's desire to help those
less fortunate, but also from an impetuous need to escape his father's
stifling family practice.

He arrives in a small Ugandan village just after Amin has taken over.
The free-spirited Garrigan romances the social-worker wife (Gillian
Anderson) of the doctor he works with, following a one-night stand
with a woman he met on the bus on his arrival. But he does have a
real, if callow, sense of dedication and initially is swayed by Amin's
rabble-rousing appeal and promises of nationwide betterment.

Amin is drawn to Garrigan for his bold honesty as well as by his
nationality: The Ugandan leader is fascinated with all things
Scottish. Garrigan becomes Amin's personal physician, lured by the
leader's opulent lifestyle and the promises of running a clinic. Once
he takes the job and observes how Amin is fueled by paranoia and
brutality, he realizes belatedly what kind of monster he has allied
himself with.

McAvoy does a fine job portraying Garrigan as morally complicit in the
atrocities committed by Amin's regime. In his naiveté, he is easily
flattered, though his actions often strain credulity, such as his
risky seduction of one of Amin's wives (Kerry Washington). As a close
adviser and physician for one of the most volatile and savage world
leaders, why would he risk his life and hers to launch an affair?

The film is beautifully shot, evoking the rhythms of life in Africa
(aided by a wonderful soundtrack). Director Kevin Macdonald, a
documentary filmmaker, gives it a gritty, realistic look. Scenes of
torture and its aftermath are excruciatingly hard to watch.
Structurally, the film unravels somewhat leading up to its climax.

But none of that deters from the power and majesty of Whitaker's
performance as one of history's most vicious megalomaniacs. Whitaker
is formidably compelling as a man whose quixotic temperament and
larger-than-life persona both fascinate and repel. (Rated R for
strong violence and gruesome images, sexual content and language.
Running time: 2 hours. Opens today in New York and Los Angeles.)

Posted 9/26/2006 9:42 PM ET