Last King of Scotland

Pros: Strong screenplay, incredible Whitaker, excellent McAvoy
Cons: When it's violent, it's very violent

I often wonder how madmen become leaders. Surely those around them must see the glint of madness in their eyes on occasion during their rise to power. Is it fear that keeps them quiet? Or perhaps they really do believe that, crazy or not, their man is ...

Pros: Great screenplay, superb acting, interesting soundtrack.
Cons: Strong sexual themes and nudity.

When The Last King of Scotland came out in theaters last year, I wanted to see it. Somehow I missed it while it was in theaters and sort of forgot about it. I finally watched the movie tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. I never understood the ...

Pros: Whitaker and McAvoy, important story
Cons: a few very graphic scenes

Every once in a while, a movie comes along that I have a strong desire to watch and an equally strong desire to avoid. I'm pretty squeamish, so I'm naturally wary of any film stamped with an R rating, especially when there's almost certainly violence ...

Pros: Brilliant Cinematography, story, and location.  Forest Whitaker won the Oscar for his role.
Cons: The harsh violence and mutilations.

The Last King of Scotland (2007) Directed by Kevin MacDonaldIdia Amin's full title is "His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea, ...

Pros: Whitaker's outstanding performance.
Cons: Very few; could have been longer and more engaging.

When I was a teenager Idi Amin Dada, Uganda's late, not-so-great dictator, and all around madman,  loomed large in my life, not only because the man was a constant fixture in the late ‘70's, but also because his regime was one of the first ...

Pros: Whitaker's performance is genuine
Cons: Seems like just a teeeeny weeny little bit of Whitaker doesn't seem like Amin.

Just kidding. It seems most of those history movies nowadays that show the evils of the West (Mississippi Burning, Schindler's List, etc...), but very little on the brutalities of the non-Western world. I've read a little bit about Idi Amin from a book ...

Pros: Whitaker's performance.
Cons: Fans of Gillian Anderson will be outraged by her relatively short screen time.

I've frequently found myself renting three films from Netflix, and then just letting them sit around for weeks on end, as there are no late fees. For whatever reason, The Last King of Scotland must have lain on top of my DVD player for no less ...

Pros: Factual representations shown.
Cons: Blood and gore might be hard to stomach for some.

It is a film about haggis and Highland Games that you were hoping for, then surely you will be disappointed. Because The Last King of Scotland has very little to do with the automatically assumed main topic of Scotland and instead takes us away ...

Pros: Cast, acting, direction, and pace.
Cons: The story develops nicely. As it happens sometimes, the end is sudden.

When Forest Whitaker was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar in "The Last King of Scotland" last year, I hadn't heard of the film. Whitaker, not the usual Hollywood leading man type, is solid in whatever he does, dating back to his portrayal of ...

Pros: Whitaker scores the big one for director Alexander...
Cons: May be too explicit for some audiences...

There was something vaguely familiar about this movie that I realized after my first viewing. It was the story of a young man who first becomes the go-fer, then the surrogate son of a powerful despot. The story explores the question of self determination ...

Pros: awesome performances, excellent portrayal of a very dark point in recent history
Cons: very graphic

In 1971 Idi Amin, like so many dictators before him, was welcomed by the people of Uganda with singing and celebration, each certain that finally here was a true leader for their people who would bring about the kind of prosperity each previous leader ...

Pros: Whitaker, Amin, central relationship
Cons: Title, Washington’s character, focus on wrong character

Initially on what seems a lark (and a chance to get away from domineering dad), recently graduated doctor James McAvoy travels to Uganda, and while there he manages to come across newly implemented (via a coup) Ugandan leader Idi Amin (Forrest Whitaker) ...

Pros: A superb performance by Forrest Whitaker and a tour de force of editing.
Cons: At times the characters come across a bit too naive.

When naivety and power converge, tragic things often emerge. Such was the case in 1970’s Uganda. Though The Last King of Scotland deals with Idi Amin's rise to power and the subsequent holocaust, the film's main character is actually Nicholas ...

Pros: Outstanding performances...led by a powerhouse Forest Whitaker
Cons: Shys away from the true brutality of Amin.

LAST KING OF SCOTLAND suffers from some of the same problems as HOTEL RWANDA. It is timid in its exploration of the atrocities committed by Idi Amin. While I have no interest in seeing horrible things happen to humans just for the sake of entertainment ...

Pros: The pros are that it stars Forrest Whitaker, and Gillian Anderson.
Cons: Gillian Anderson is hardly seen in the second half of the film.

I went to see this film at a festival where the studio was getting viewer feedback. Ok.... In a film starring Forrest Whitaker in what many people were calling 'finally the Forrest Whitaker we've been waiting for'. I also like Mr. Whitaker, but this ...