The Review Site - The Last King of Scotland

Brief summary of the item: Adapted from the novel by Giles Foden, the film tells about Amin’s (Forest Whittaker) horrific reign in Uganda through the eyes of a fictional character, Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young doctor from Scotland who travels to Uganda hoping to do some good, and have some adventures along the way. After an automobile accident, Nick is called in to treat the president’s wounds. His authoritative behavior (and the fact that he is Scottish) impresses Amin, who convinces Nick to become his personal physician. At first Nicholas thinks he's got a good life in the newfound luxury, but he is unable to grasp the reality of the situation. When he does finally realize the horrors Amin is inflicting upon his people (and is also capable of inflicting on Nick), the terrified doctor tries to make a frantic escape before it's too late.
Good Points: Wow. I didn't know what to expect from this film, but it blew me away. I didn't even think it was my TYPE of film, and in the first half an hour, I couldn't understand why I had been told it was so harrowing as I felt it was rather light-hearted. And then it all kicked off. Nicholas is not actually a particularly likeable character, but possibly quite a 'real' character. I found myself so engrossed in the film that at the end, in a scene that actually made me feel quite sick, I was talking to the TV willing the ending to go the way I wanted it to. Forest Whittaker gave a fantastically powerful performance - he's scary as Amin - and James McAvoy showed a completely different side to his acting with this role.
Bad Points: For me...I don't know if I thought there were really any. I guess I felt that Nicholas' character made some stupid mistakes, but that was part of the story.
General Comments: Worth watching and will leave you thinking - but people must remember that the film is not 100% based on real events at all!

This film gets 9/10 from me (The only reason I gave this 5 for chances of watching it again is because I did find it quite harrowing, and would need to be in the right frame of mind to see it again)