Though everything Dada does in front of the camera is staged, his madness shines through brightly enough. His cabinet meeting is both frightening and fascinating, and definitely the high point in an allround interesting documentary. I would have preferred a bit more information on Dada's policies and how they effected Uganda though.

I watched this a couple of years back, and still can't forget it. It was such an eerie experience, I respect Schroeder for even walking side by side with that "man". You must see this if you watched/or planning to "Last King of Scotland".

Very interesting documentary. It leaves you with a feeling of astonishment and disbelief. It clearly shows how dictatorships work by granting views into the life of General Amin, even if an autoportrait, whose reality seemed to be different from that of others.

Barbet Schroeder's documentary gives Amin ample air-time to pontificate on Jewish conspiracies, military strategy, his country's well-being, and generally what a great guy he is. He comes off as a nut, and due to his speaking in English, a misleadingly comical nut. Every once in a while, you see a flicker in his eyes that hints at something darker and more terrible. The film could've used a more coherent form --it just kind of starts recording and then rambles to a stop after 90 minutes.

Dada's an appropriate name as this is an exercise in surrealism. Idi Amin was one of the most bizarre dictators in history, his cruelty masked beneath a veneer of buffoonery. Watching him in this it's clear that Amin never emerged from the bullying adolescent phase, that the divide between communism/capitalism or Arab/Israeli had no real meaning for him as long as he got to strut around bedecked in medals and play with shiny military hardware (thanks to that other abstract art piece Gaddafi).

This film has some interesting interviews that reveal a little insight into the mind of a dictator. Certainly worth checking out.

This cinematic self-portrait of one of Africa's most ruthless tyrants is not just an informative piece of art, like all good documentaries, but also a historical record of utmost gravity. Idi Amin exposes himself to Schroeder in all his charismatic but barbaric glory. He okays executions, references the Protocols of Zion as he trains Ugandan troops to attack Israel, daftly explains his racist "economic war" on local Asians, laughs at his own jokes and waves to an elephant on the Nile banks.

Terrifying, intriguing look at a dictator who can only be fairly described as a sociopath.

It's almost hard to believe such a man really existed and controlled a nation of millions. The deranged, murderous and still oddly innocent and perhaps charming dictator is brought into light by this "self portrait", focusing entirely on him in various situations, being at times surreal, absurd and even hilarious. Infinitely better than The Last King of Scotland, the flawed attempt at portraying him through fiction.

An intriguing and unique document. I didn't know much about Amin going into it, so it was an eye-opener. He was quite a charismatic fellow, but Schroeder slyly reveals the menace underneath the jolly facade, often simply by letting him talk longer than he should.