The Last King of Scotland

R

Released Jan 19, 2007

2 hr. 1 min.

Biography

Drama

List

87%

184 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) becomes the personal physician and close confidante of dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new position of power, he soon comes to realize that Amin's rule is soaked in blood, and that he is complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin's grasp.

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Critics Consensus

Forest Whitaker's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.

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Connor S

One of the biggest and most piggish monsters in world history is humanized just enough before he shows just how he was able to do what he did.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/18/24

Full Review

Alec C

Witness the rise of one of histories most ruthless dictators and his brutality towards his nation! Nicholas Garrigan is a naive doctor who travels to Uganda, only to find himself as the personal physician of Idi Amin, where he slowly begins to learn the depths of his depravity. Deeply intense and mesmerizing, Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy manage to play perfect opposites as the inhumanity of the Uganda regime are shown!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/24

Full Review

Julia S

Although the acting in this movie by Forest Whitaker was phenomenal, some parts especially in the beginning seemed way too slow and unnecessary for the plot. (there was also no need to include a weird affair with the doctors wife or Amin's wife. that was a wtf moment for me) Although they tried to make McAvoy's character somewhat likeable, he was just so stupid and extremely intolerable. It was hard to watch near the end, with brutal and violent scenes, I wouldn't watch this if you weren't prepared for a lot of violence and mature content. I honestly don't think I would recommend. Out of 100, I would say a 65 maybe 70. Very hard to watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/11/24

Full Review

Jona I

Incredible performances, especially by Forest Whitaker. Grisly.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/15/23

Full Review

Tony M

The Last King Of Scotland is a great movie that I will definitely watch again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/03/23

Full Review

Some Guy F

Great performances, good filmwork, but completely glosses over the brutality of Idi Amin's revolution and reign. It also is highly focused on a non-existent person and a fake story, which I always find jarring in a historical drama. If Forrest Whitaker wasn't acting his ass off, this movie would be much harder to stomach.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Kevin Macdonald

Director

Forest Whitaker

Idi Amin

James McAvoy

Nicholas Garrigan

Kerry Washington

Kay Amin

Gillian Anderson

Sara Merrit

Simon McBurney

Stone

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Wesley Morris

Boston Globe

Rated: 2/4

Nov 24, 2011

Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Having cut his teeth on documentaries, Kevin Macdonald acts as if a shaky-cam aesthetic alone is enough to fuel dramatic tension.

Rated: 3/6

Feb 3, 2007

Full Review

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

The horror, when it finally moves to the centre of the screen, gives us Amin's barbarity in close-up -- and he's still smiling.

Feb 2, 2007

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Neither overly political nor overly intellectual, The Last King of Scotland is a powerful, accessible biopic of one of history’s recent madmen.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 8, 2024

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Bigger than life, volatile, unstable, whipping from childlike generosity to ferocious vengeance to crippling paranoia in seconds, it’s the kind of role that invites accolades and [Forest] Whitaker deserves them all...

Sep 24, 2023

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

An electric chemistry between McAvoy and Whitaker allows us to suspend our disbelief at the doctor's feckless gullibility...

May 12, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) becomes the personal physician and close confidante of dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new position of power, he soon comes to realize that Amin's rule is soaked in blood, and that he is complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin's grasp.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Executive Producer: Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Tessa Ross
Screenwriter: Peter Morgan, Jeremy Brock
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: DNA Films, FilmFour, Fox Searchlight
Rating: R (Language|Gruesome Images|Sexual Content|Some Strong Violence)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 19, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.6M

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