The Last King of Scotland (Movie Review)

What’s good from this movie? I always like the movie that told about history, and this movie is one of them. Haha.  I don’t like read the history book but I always think the one who knows about history is the cool one. So, when I watched the movie that told about history, I feel like I became cool without doing something that I don’t like. J J

Okay, so what’s the movie about?

Review: This movie recounts a story about a Scottish Doctor named Nicholas Garrigan who travelled to Uganda and worked in Ugandan missionary clinic run by David and his Wife, Sarah. The time took when Idi Amin has just become president of Uganda after overthrow Obote.

At first, Everything’s going fine, Nicholas got his craving for adventure fulfilled. As times goes by, he felt in love with Sarah, but Sarah rejected him because David is a good man. And after his action, shot a buffalo (for free it from misery) in front of Idi Amin when he was treat him, Nicholas, suddenly be Idi Amin’s doctor and also his adviser. That happened because Amin impressed by Nicholas, who is Scottish (Idi Amin is Scottish admirer for their struggle against British) and could speak bravely what he thought.

Initially, Nicholas do not want to accept Amin’s offer but after he talk personally with Amin and think that maybe Amin could make Uganda better, He accepts that. Everything’s good, Nicholas even got a car from Amin. However, as time goes by, he found that Amin is not totally a good person. Amin is temperamental and it’s scary. Many people gone (disappeared and assumed be killed) if he/she has signs will betray Amin. His health minister is one of the example. He disappeared after be expected has some deal with strange white guy in bar and found dead some days later.

After found the truth about Amin, Nicholas planned to escape, but Amin already changed his passport be Ugandan passport. Nicholas asked for help to Stone (British Rep in Uganda), He agreed to make Nicholas out from as long as Nicholas killed Amin. Nicholas rejected that.

What’s make more complicated is an affair between Nicholas and Kay (Amin’s third wife). And Kay is pregnant. Nicholas could not abort that baby and Kay decided to go to village, and held an abortion there. But before that happened, Amin knew about that affair, Amin’s soldier caught Kay and killed her (for details, mutilate her). And for Nicholas, Amin decided to torture him slowly, but in the middle of persecution (which is held in the airport when some refugee planned to be freed), Dr Junju (Ugandan doctor, Nicholas predecessor as Amin’s doctor) release Nicholas.

Dr Junju released Nicholas and made him like a refugee that will be sent to Paris. Dr Junju said to Nicholas to reveal the truth of Amin to the world. He said everyone will be believed Nicholas because he is white.

Not long after that short goodbye, Amin soldiers found that Nicholas gone from persecution room and killed Dr Junju (because helped Nicholas). Luckily, Idi Amin has no time to stop Nicholas’s flight to Paris.

Epilogue, I quote from Wikipedia,

“The epilogue shows real footage of Amin, as well as figures such as the 300,000 that died under his regime, and tells of his eventual 2003 death while in exile in Saudi Arabia”

Comment: A nice movie from the book with the same titled. Also, excellent actors, James Mc Avoy as Nicholas Garrigan and Forest Whittaker as Idi Amin. This movie is inspired by true events. Idi Amin is real whether Nicholas is fiction character.

So why the titled is The Last King of Scotland? Is that for Nicholas of for Amin?

That’s for Idi Amin, here is the explanation (I took from reference.com)

Uganda was a protectorate of the British Empire before becoming independent in 1962, and when Idi Amin took over Uganda in 1971, he was not nostalgic about the country's colonial past. He became fascinated with the history of Scotland, which had rebelled against British rule centuries earlier. Amin even went so far as to create a Scottish band, sending men to the country to learn the bagpipes and having them dress in kilts and Scottish regalia for official events.

When Britain broke off diplomatic ties with the country, Amin declared himself Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa, and he offered Scotland to take on the role of their king and free them from oppression. Scotland never took him up on his offer, and his brutal regime came to an end before the decade ended. Idi Amin fled to Saudi Arabia, where he lived in exile until his death in 2003.

Comment: I just realized (in this movie) Mc Avoy’s eyes is totally blue and that is cool. J hehe…. Honestly, I chose to watched this movie because of him and the movie turned really great. I feel so lucky.

So, how? Did you interest to watched after read this story? A story based on the real life people ? the one who is the third-world dictator? This one also serves little things about racism, and doctor’s life.

Please give me feedback ,  (I write in English for learn)

Thank you very much J J J