The Last King Of Scotland

A doctor on a mission in Uganda found himself irreversibly involved in the life of one of the most barbaric personalities in the world.

It should have been an exiting adventure into an unknown and far away land, but when the naïve young doctor arrives in Uganda in the ‘70s – hoping for fun, sun and helping people – it ends as a shocking trip to the darkest place on earth: the human heart.

That is the story of the film, The Last King Of Scotland, a strong thriller which recreates the world of Uganda under the rule of the crazy dictator Idi Amin on the screen.

Skillfully mixing fact with fiction, the film contains a strong acting by Forest Whitaker as Amin, and paints two unforgettable portrets: one, a charismatic but psychopathic leader who devastates his own country, and the other, a witness to historical events who finally finds the strength to resist.

The story begins when the handsome Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), who has just finished his studies, travels to Uganda in search of excitement, love and the joy of helping in a country which really needs his medical skills.

Soon after his arrival, Garrigan was called to the scene of a bizarre accident: Idi Amin, recently pronounced leader of the country, hit a helpless cow with his Maserati. Bravely bringing the chaotic situation into his control, Garrigan impresses Amin with his arrogant directness. Previously obsessed with Scottish culture and history, Amin instantly likes Garrigan and soon offers him the position of his personal doctor.

That offer is so unbelievable that the young doctor simply can’t refuse it. That is how his odyssey into the inner circle of one of the most terrible regimes in Africa begins.

At first Garrigan was carried away by Amin’s well known charming character and his ambitious plans for the future of Uganda, along with the leader’s passion for fast cars, beautiful women and glamorous parties.

As time passes, allured by his own thirst for power, Garrigan becomes the dictator’s trustee, adviser and right hand, and on a daily basis witnesses ever worsening events – kidnappings, murders and indescribable horrors which he is partly responsible for.

Trapped in a moral abyss of Amin’s deadly megalomania, Garrigan nearly loses his own soul. But when he finally dares to try and stop the madness, he finds himself in a desperate struggle for his own life.

DIRECTOR: Kevin Macdonald

CAST: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson

GENRE: Drame / Thriller

FILM LENTH: 123 min

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: USA