The Last King of Scotland, Movie Review Example

The Plot, Main Characters, and the International Context

According to Michael Phillips (2007), the movie is based on a novel by Giles Foden, directed by Kevin MacDonald. The movie “The Last King of Scotland” is a sad and cruel some feature set in one of Africa’s troubled nations: Uganda. The centre of action lies in the life of a Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan caught up in the quagmire of a coup that ousts the civilian leader Milton Obote and brings in the military rule by Idi Amin Dada. First, he works in a rural clinic run by British couple, Sarah and David, and then he’s appointed to the presidential palace as the family physician and doctor-in-charge in Mulago Hospital.

Amin obsessed with everything Scottish is quick to woo Dr Garrigan to be his personal adviser. In his own words, Amin calls Garrigan his most trusted friend. The despotic rule by Amin has the tyrant seal everyone’s fate, his mood and action is unpredictable. Dr Garrigan has to constantly pamper him like an infant and cool his nerves with mental boosters. Everyone is vulnerable even his most trusted advisers like Garrigan, family members like Kay, his wife, the disloyal soldiers and cabinet ministers like Jonah Waswa, Minister of Health.

The international context of the movie is Africa, a continent characterized by wars of struggle for freedom from colonial rulers and tyrant post independence rulers. The Idi Amin regime alone was responsible for 300,000 mass killings from 1971 to 1979.His predecessor Obote saw 500,000 people killed whom Amin calls a ‘drunken silly man’. Ironically, Amin’s own victims of brutality are his colonial masters, the British, who cultured him into the tyrant he is (James Berardinelli, 2006). He refers to them as his enemies who want to see him dead. Unlike them, the Scots are his friends who he says require his help to defeat the British, hence declaring himself as ‘The Last King of Scotland’.

Nicholas Garrigan, the doctor’s role played by James McAvoy, plays the main character in the movie. He’s depicted as the adventurous youth who cannot be confined in his parent’s home and Scotland. He lands in Uganda on mission. Much to his unlikely expectations, the new place (Uganda) is in a sorry state of affairs, poor medical care, overwhelming number of patients in the small clinic, and passive attitude towards modern medicine by villagers who turn to traditional witchdoctors.

This takes a short stint coupled by a stolen kiss with Sarah Merrit, the British doctor’s wife (role played by Gillian Anderson). Following a small car accident, Garrigan gives first aid to President Idi Amin, role played by Forest Whitaker, his brevity after using Amin’s pistol to silence a bull turns from the worst provocation to the president for the better since he’s Scottish. This incident sets the stage for Garrigan and ushers him to the inner circle of Amin’s advisers and first hand experience with tyranny. For him, he lives on the positive side of the coin and is deceived to think there aren’t victims of the regime.

According to Michael Phillips (2007), other foreigners like Stone (role played by Simon McBurney) thinks Garrigan should assassinate the tyrant Amin to save the nation more brutality. Amin’s trust for Garrigan is betrayed when he sleeps with his third wife Kay (role played by Kerry Washington). Unlike the previous incident where Garrigan uses Amin’s pistol, this incident with Kay- who already has paid the price with her life-is off limits even if she seems neglected in Garrigan’s point of view. Garrigan faces his first reality when he lands on Amin’s torture list.

Comparison Between the Two Versions and the Filmmaker’s Use of Dramatic License

According to Michael Phillips (2007), “The Last King of Scotland”, a historical drama, is a real representation of fact by Hollywood. The actual researched events closely relate to acted events. The movie character of Amin as a charismatic but paranoid person is depicted when he decides to assign duty to Garrigan as his physician -which Amin says that the best way to show service to Uganda-but on the other hand confesses that his health is perfect since he knows precisely when to die which he saw in a dream. He also thinks that Uganda loves him because he’s loyal, but his hatred and madness is vented on them.

Kampala’s night clubs are a regular spot for Amin which characterize orgy parties with his many girlfriends at the height of butchery in torture cells. This is a satirical twist for someone who thinks he’s loyal to his country and a father of the nation (Michael Phillips .2007). Deceit and obsession underlies the tyrant’s rule by his denial of any mass killings and missing people. The freedom promised to the people of Uganda is far from reality since everyone is caged and movements are restricted, Garrigan’s passport is confiscated that he cannot escape.

He’s obsessed with power and hate for his real or perceived enemies. The assassination attempt on him by ‘Obote men’ which refers to a section of soldiers against him runs him mad and punishes these soldiers brutally. He makes it clear that though the power obtained may have been a military coup, Amin is in- charge. He immediately replaces positions of power with his own tribesmen. He also has apathy for other races especially British and the Asians who are given a 90 days ultimatum to leave the country.

The film uses strongly scenes of violence to highlight the bloody and murderous years of Amin’s rule, from torture in the cells of Ugandan masses to hanging and piercing done to doctor Garrigan. Research reveals that Amin was a cannibal and revealed human flesh was very salty. Cannibalism is a custom in his Kakwa tribe of northern Uganda. In the film, he is angry that his enemies call him a mad person and a cannibal. In reality, his tribesmen would rip open children’s chests and eat their hearts.

The hearts of generals killed at Amin’s regime were eaten because it was believed that those who ate became strong and brave. The film uses the blends of Buganda music, African musical instruments and dancers across the fire to depict the Ugandan setting of the movie. Nudity in the movie depicts the height of sexual perversion in the nation at the time and how well the president went with it. The green banana plantation of Uganda depicts a rich agricultural nation, one that gives Amin a false illusion that he can feed a starving Britain Empire with their food supplies.

The Film’s Influence on Viewer’s Conclusion Given a Significant Deviation

The filming has been able to significantly capture the truth in Amin’s rule since there’s little exaggeration of facts. However, Amin’s actions may have been slightly underrated since the focus of the film is around the Scottish doctor who happens to be one of his many victims. A strong conclusion that the British have to counter the same forces of tyranny and racial apathy which they created in the colonial regime doesn’t mislead the viewer’s perception from the actual truth. In actual sense, most post-independence African leaders were dictators who centered power on them the way their colonial masters did. Amin was recruited to fight the Mau-Mau resistance movement of Kenya who were against the British during colonialism. Amin openly hates the British and favors the Scots.

According to James Berardinelli (2006), in the event which Dr Garrigan escapes Uganda by disguising as a non-Zionist hostage and boards the plane to his freedom. Dr. Thomas of Mulago hospital discharges him from hospital since Garrigan is better placed to save the Ugandan people. Dr. Thomas tells Garrigan that the world will believe him since he’s white. The viewer is put to perceive Garrigan as the savior of the Ugandan people and as the force behind liberation. In actual truth, latter events of Amin’s aggression to his neighboring country Tanzania led to a coup to overthrow the Amin government by the Tanzanian forces. The film brings in Amin’s double that doesn’t have a proactive role but highlight a common phenomenon with dictators. In reality they fear for their security and they are targeted for assassination by those who hate them, therefore doubles act as protective shields.

Film’s Popular Reaction and Controversy

There has been a popular reaction to the film due to a negative international public opinion against Amin. His behavior has been widely rebuked. However, the Scottish doctor has also not been favored due to the controversial role he played as dumb and selfish, while a lethal injection would have sealed the fate of his boss (Manohla Dargis, 2006). He therefore overlooked the suffering of the Ugandan people for his own pleasure. Nudity in film has not sparked heated controversy since the scenes of violence and Amin’s paranoiac assertions are more grueling. There’s controversy of who the main character is between Amin and Garrigan, but it’s clear that Amin brings action to the movie while Garrigan begins and ends the film.

The film might have sparked interest on human rights violations in Africa. There have been popular mass movements to fight for democracy by human rights groups and the United Nations. Stereotypes might have risen where people view Africans as aggressors and Ugandans as cannibalisms.

Works Cited

James Berardinelli, Last King of Scotland Film Review N.Y, New York Publishing Press.2006

Manohla Dargis, Innocent Man Abroad, Seduced by a Madman L.A, Los Angeles Press .2006

Michael Phillips. Last King of Scotland Movie Review, [email protected]. Sep 4 2007.