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 The Last King Of Scotland (DVD)
Description: Genre: Drama / Theatrical Release: 2006 / Director: Kevin Macdonald / Actors: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker ... / DVD ... more  The Last King Of Scotland (DVD) ... released 14 May, 2007 at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Features of the DVD: PAL, Subtitled / As the evil Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance in The Last King of Scotland. Powerfully illustrating the terrible truth that absolute power corrupts absolutely, this fictionalised chronicle of Amin's rise and fall is based on the acclaimed novel by Giles Foden, in which Amin's despotic reign of terror is viewed through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a Scottish doctor who arrives in Uganda in the early 1970s to serve as Amin's personal physician. His outsider's perspective causes him to be initially impressed by Amin's calculated rise to power, but as the story progresses--and as Whitaker's award-worthy performance grows increasingly monstrous--The Last King of Scotland turns into a pointed examination of how independent Uganda (a British colony until 1962) became a breeding ground for Amin's genocidal tyranny. As Whitaker plays him, Amin is both seductive and horribly destructive--sometimes in the same breath--and McAvoy effectively conveys the tragic cost of his character's naiveté, which grows increasingly prone to exploitation. As directed by Kevin Macdonald (who made the riveting semi-documentary Touching the Void), this potent cautionary tale my prompt some viewers to check out Barbet Schroeder's equally revealing documentary General Idi Amin Dada, an essential source for much of this film's authentic detail. --Jeff ShannonNewest Review: ... amongst the villages, humbling Garrigan instantly. It is more chance than anything else that draws Amin and Garrigan ... more ... together, with the Ugandan President hurting his hand and Garrigan being handily available to treat him. What follows is a bizarre relationship which develops Garrigan into more of a personal adviser than a doctor, and the stresses and moral issues that arise are handled very well from director MacDonald.
With a history of directing true stories, MacDonald handles the subject matter very well. His 2003 film, Touching The Void, was dramatic, and he is the ideal choice for this film. We are almost kept unaware of Amin's brutal...more |
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The Last King Of Scotland (DVD): You know what Amin Harry.. (1325 words)
by thedevilinme - written on 27/10/07 (Very useful, 93 readings)
Rating:
I suspect the casting process for the Last King of Scotland was one of the quickest in film history. James McAvoy is the hottest young Scottish talent around (now Ewan McGregor is spending most of his time making bad movies and messing around on his motorbike!), whilst there are very few twenty stones black actors working today. Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible and Pulp Fiction) is way too cool to bung on anther five stones and Lenny Henry just doesn’t have the experience. Get Forrest on the line! But it was no easy Oscar for the big man, a lot of hard work required to play this very physical figure, although he was always going to win it if he nailed the big man. ...
The Dictator and the Doctor (739 words)
by Zmugzy - written on 07/11/07 (Very useful, 106 readings)
Rating:
The Last King of Scotland is based on Giles Foden's novel of the same name and is directed by Kevin Macdonald from a screenplay adaptation by Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock. This is a short review of the film and not the DVD. The story follows Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) who arrives in Uganda fresh from medical school during the early 1970s to work at a missionary clinic. His arrival coincides with the military coup led by Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). It is almost by chance that Garrigan comes across Amin and after giving him treatment for an injury he is invited to be his personal physician. It is not long though that he finds himself in the ...
The Last King Of Scotland (DVD): Aaaaaamazing! (1102 words)
by katygriff - written on 13/10/07 (Very useful, 89 readings)
Rating:
I was excited about this film when I heard about it being made a couple of years back. I love James McAvoy you see so keep a keen eye on what he is making, then when I found out that another favourite of mine Gillian Anderson was in it I had to go and see it. I missed it at the cinema as I do most films and heard such good things about throughout its release. Then when it came onto DVD I bought it on the first day it was out to give it a go. I was worried that I had built it up so much and that I would be disappointed but was so glad when I actually watched it and found it just as brilliant as everybody else. ----- The Film: Nicholas ...
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