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The Last King of Scotland

The Last King of Scotland

2006
Drama, History
2h 3m
In an incredible twist of fate, a Scottish doctor (McAvoy) on a Ugandan medical mission becomes irreversibly entangled with one of the world's most barbaric figures: Idi Amin (Whitaker). Impressed by Dr. Garrigan's brazen attitude in a moment of crisis, the newly self-appointed Ugandan President Amin hand picks him as his personal physician and closest confidante... (imdb)
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The Last King of Scotland

2006
Drama, History
2h 3m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 61.33% from 4899 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(4899)
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Rated 06 May 2007
83
47th
A movie anchored by James McAvoy's good performance and Forest Whitaker's outstanding performance. Honestly, Whitaker's performance is one of those that meets if not exceeds the hype it has recieved. it's not that Whitaker makes a good psycho, it's that he makes a very human character. A mentally ill human, but still a human.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
85
83rd
Whitaker was absolutely amazing, James McAvoy was also very, very good and I think credit for his performance gets forgotten because Whitaker plays such a difficult role to perfection. I loved the slow transition from the playful feel of the first part of the film to the terror filled end. It worked very, very well.
Rated 01 Mar 2008
82
88th
The one thing that stands out a mile in The Last King of Scotland is the fantastic representation of Idi Amin by Forest Whitaker. It must have taken a massive amount of preparation to perfect the role so well. The proximity of McAvoy to Amin is another highlight, the turbulent relationship between them has been pulled off to its full potential. As for the rest of the film, McAvoy plays a difficult part rather well, direction works very nicely and it maintains a great tension throughout.
Rated 16 Aug 2008
75
65th
A very good movie. Whitaker is just fantastic, he almost seems to be Amin., while the movie itself does a lot of effort to convey an impression of Uganda at that time - and is succesful. But I was wishing that this movie would even go a little further while showing the horror Amin was delivering to his country.
Rated 21 Feb 2009
70
52nd
I don't see the fuzz around the Last King of Scotland. ... Besides Forest Withacker, this was just pretty average. ... Nothing that really makes this outstanding. For example: the stereotypical portrayal of Africa, the lack of creative camerawork, the flaws in historical accuracy. .... Mmmmmm!
Rated 17 Sep 2009
90
97th
it's a shame that forest whitaker has been in so many films, and that not a lot of them have been memorable, bc when he hits the right role he is simply incredible. he did it in Ghost Dog, and he's done it again here, as Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin. It's absolutely scary how Whitaker seemed to become Amin in this role. His eyes had that distant yet focused glaze of a real madman. funny and charming, violent and scary and sometimes only seconds apart, whitaker shines.
Rated 21 Oct 2010
65
46th
Despite the commendable performances, there is something not quite right about this fictional biopic. Technically, it's a good dramatic thriller with an often compelling portrayal of a slightly unhinged dictator and his tumultuous relationship with his doctor. But ultimately, the film itself as a whole is borderline bland and feels a little emotionally disconnected as if something essential to the story was held back which is a shame really because this could have been something.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
75
76th
Well done. Forest Whitaker belts out an Oscar-worthy performance which alone makes this movie worthy of the rating. As for the film itself: The camerawork and cinematography was a bit trendy, if not annoying at times. Many of the characters also seemed a bit underdeveloped (or maybe I just couldn't find it in me to really care about what was happening to McAvoy).
Rated 07 Mar 2007
88
83rd
Does a great job of having you know the feelings of the characters without having it explicitly spelled out for you. All in all a pretty good movie.
Rated 26 Mar 2007
80
68th
Some movies are good just because they have a good monster. Such is this one
Rated 02 Apr 2007
80
95th
Great film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
Part fiction, part fact. Simultaneously epicly Greek and Shakespearean. Any way you cut it, this is one of the best films of the year ('06). Get ready for nominations for this one. I predict Best Screenplay, Best Actor for Mr. Whitaker, Best Director, who knows what else...
Rated 24 Sep 2007
3
61st
Mediocre, if not for the presence of Forest Whitaker.
Rated 16 Nov 2007
80
72nd
Whitaker's performance is truly amazing.
Rated 10 Apr 2008
90
90th
Gripping. Whitaker is perfect as Amin. The way his childishness, petulance and then finally his horrific cruelty slowly become apparent through his larger than life personality is very well done. I'm usually not especially impressed with McAvoy but here he puts in a good performance as a believably flawed character.
Rated 30 Dec 2008
90
38th
Whitaker becomes tension in an otherwise formulaic and flat piece, with McAvoy's antihero rising to the challenge at some points, but for the most part only fulfilling the rather trite Africa through the eyes of a white man framing device.
Rated 30 Dec 2008
92
95th
Excellent pacing. Amazing performances. Thrilling, and scary. Must see!
Rated 31 Dec 2008
90
94th
I'm Scottish, how could I NOT like this. In all seriousness though, it's a very powerful film filled with some great performances. Forest has come a long way from Private Garlic. Well worth the Oscar nod, and this film is well worth a look. On a side note, if you correct someone who calls you British by saying your Scottish they do react in the way Amin does in the film ;)
Rated 10 Feb 2009
87
89th
Well I now know why Whitaker won the Oscar. He was awesome in the lead role. This possibly had one of the most gruesome scenes I have ever seen in a film, and what made it worse was that it kinda came out of nowhere so I wasn't even prepared for it. The film did a very good job depicting what took place during Idi Amin's reign.
Rated 22 Oct 2009
7
65th
Whitaker is fantastic.
Rated 14 Jan 2010
46
41st
McAvoy's character in this is a pretty terrible human being.
Rated 27 Jan 2010
75
69th
Forest Whitaker's stellar performance is both a blessing and a curse to this movie. His presence is powerful and menacing to a point where every scene without him feels dull and - worst of all - pointless (worst offender: the contrieved love-affair... ungh...). A standout act in an otherwise unmemorable film.
Rated 30 Jun 2010
70
38th
30/6/10
Rated 04 Jul 2010
72
62nd
Whitaker was absolutely amazing; switching between intense, frightening and disarming so easily. I didn't mind having some white doctor be the protagonist, this way the focus isn't completely on Amin and it makes the character all the more unpredictable when he does pop up next. It's an interesting watch, but the movie doesn't really stand out apart from Whitaker.
Rated 28 Nov 2010
81
74th
Whitaker's brilliant performance creates an amazing larger-than-life character that obfuscates all the film's other flaws throughout the movie's duration. One sees the faults of the scriptwriter and the director only after the film is over.
Rated 30 Mar 2011
88
91st
An amazing film about a inhumane tradegy. Watch it and learn a little about why living in the UK isn't as bad as we think it is. Great acting and excellent story.
Rated 30 Nov 2012
70
61st
The Last King of Scotland never rises to the standard set by Forest Whitaker's fearless (and fearsome) performance as Idi Amin.
Rated 05 May 2015
65
64th
Obviously holds a reconstruction of a subtextual essay put forward in the book this is based on, if only a partially effective reconstruction. It wants to say something about Africa and its corruption of the soul while also explaining and defending it, but along with the terrific acting of Whitaker this only increases the negative or stressful relationship to those formulaic elements the rest of the film is comprised of, resulting in the film feeling 'off' as a whole.
Rated 17 Jan 2021
60
51st
Whitaker's performance made me forget about the ridiculous story of the Scottish doctor until the end of the film. The story was still extremely interesting.
Rated 30 Jan 2007
75
85th
really intense movie/docu with an outstanding forest whitaker as idi amin
Rated 22 Feb 2007
67
75th
Good performance of Forest is that what is dominate in this movie...But again like a many other movies which are close to be biography there are imaginary person who is main actor and which relation with Forest we watch. If you do biography of someone do not do this or at least make it to a minimum, or it is show deeply, true like a forge.
Rated 28 Feb 2007
58
48th
Flawed but pretty decent. Whitaker's Oscar is well-earned as he really shines here and is quite scary. The story is pretty good, the movie is fast-paced and thrilling, actually it fleets by a bit too fast even though it's two hours long. It could have done with one less party scene and should have covered more of the Entebbe incident.
Rated 20 Apr 2007
70
41st
I liked The Last King of Scotland for two reasons: first and foremost, Forest Whitaker is a brilliant actor who never got the right roles that truly showed off his immense talent until this one; secondly, this is a movie about a time and place that is almost never, ever discussed or ever even thought of. It's a great capturing of what many more should know about. Otherwise, the movie lacks the direct narrative in its storytelling that should be present in a period piece like this. It's mer
Rated 13 May 2007
78
73rd
Powerful performances by Whitaker and McAvoy. A very compelling movie to say the least.
Rated 27 May 2007
77
71st
Excellent job by Whitaker.
Rated 11 Jun 2007
90
86th
Whittaker is superb, but the story of the doctor in all of it dragged on too long to make it a tight, controlled movie.
Rated 01 Aug 2007
77
39th
Would have been better if they had pursued the profile of Amin, instead of pulling the typical "frame a black guy's story with a white guy's journey" that also plagued Blood Diamond. Whitaker is a compelling enough actor to carry the whole film without the need to throw in artificial strife.
Rated 13 Aug 2007
84
72nd
R U 4 REAL!!!! Scary fuckin' shit man! SCARY. FUCKING. SHIT. This is truly a horror film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
87
87th
Outstanding. Very graphic, though. But very strong acting. Highly recommended, especially to see Whitaker in an amazing role.
Rated 21 Aug 2007
90
98th
An all around compelling and enthralling movie.
Rated 23 Aug 2007
74
73rd
Good
Rated 03 Sep 2007
70
57th
Well acted
Rated 16 Sep 2007
75
79th
solid film has good acting but never feels like it is meeting it's full potential.
Rated 24 Oct 2007
25
11th
Yeah, Whittaker is great but he's hardly in it. And MacAvoy's character is so obsequious that he made me squirm -- and made me resent all the other people who go out of their way to help him. Whatever with this movie.
Rated 27 Oct 2007
98
91st
Both leads act amazingly in this. Wish I'd seen it at the cinema.
Rated 11 Nov 2007
86
90th
A cracking film given life by the increasingly impressive McAvoy and an outstanding turn by Forest Whitaker. You really get a sense of how people were taken in by Amin and the terror he unleashed, like a sort of child gorilla with an education in violence.
Rated 28 Dec 2007
87
65th
Watch for Forest Whitaker's performance and nothing else, a compelling job that will have your jaw on the floor. He was Idi Amin.
Rated 22 Jan 2008
79
66th
Forest whitaker is nothing less than amazing in this movie, it warrants a viewing based on his performance alone
Rated 31 Jan 2008
81
81st
Very entertaining, well acted thriller. Kudos to Whitaker for his Oscar winning performance.
Rated 11 Mar 2008
82
65th
Forest's acting is amazing in this movie!
Rated 23 Mar 2008
70
39th
Two great perfromances, and a lot of inadvertant post colonial attitude. Seriously, why could this story not be told unless it was through the eyes of a whte man? Wasn't the suffering of Ugnadan people enough to warrant a movie?
Rated 12 Apr 2008
100
99th
Such great performance by Forest Whitaker, its chilling. Wicked portrayal of a madman.
Rated 06 Jun 2008
90
94th
A wonderful film that highlights so well the failings and inefficiencies of rule by tyranny, in a brilliant fashion. Remember, even in 'Democracies' nobody should have too much power. Presidents are NOT Kings, nor should they become such.
Rated 09 Jun 2008
95
98th
5 points because james mcavoy is a cutie, 90 points because forest whitaker is amazing.
Rated 17 Jun 2008
80
75th
An interesting view of how sometimes you can't see the forest from the trees... even if the trees are losing all their limbs.
Rated 21 Jun 2008
2
21st
Whitaker carries an otherwise boring and bait-y biopic.
Rated 08 Jul 2008
90
58th
Idin Armin was a bastard. This film is bloody good though, and has an important moral message. Never befriend a dictator, and never shag one of his wives...
Rated 12 Jul 2008
69
52nd
Gripping.
Rated 14 Jul 2008
60
39th
Anchored by a strong performance from Whitaker, Last King of Scotland barely passes the level of bad.
Rated 01 Aug 2008
85
90th
This movie blew me away. Forest Whitaker was amazing as Idi Amin.
Rated 21 Oct 2008
90
78th
Wonderful!
Rated 25 Oct 2008
84
94th
Very Nice
Rated 09 Nov 2008
70
70th
Escenas muy crueles...hay que estar preparado :S
Rated 03 Dec 2008
82
77th
McAvoy as a skinny Scottish boy thrown out of his element. Friggin' fantastic performance from Forest as Amin. He actually will freak you out he does such a good damn job with this movie. As it unfolds and he's revealed as being a psychopath, it gets scarier and scarier as you hope and hope that the Scot makes it out of this situation alive.
Rated 14 Dec 2008
8
5th
formulaic bullshit, partly saved by whitaker's performance
Rated 23 Dec 2008
65
44th
Forest Whitaker didn't really do much for me in this movie. The performance never rose quite above caricature. The rest is competent, but I'd never watch it again.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
70
54th
I really like the title of this movie. Says something about the movie if you've actually seen it. Otherwise it says nothing about it :).
Rated 03 Feb 2009
87
58th
Powerful drama/thrller with an amazing performance by Whittaker. Recommended for everyone.
Rated 17 Feb 2009
91
93rd
Forest Whitaker delivers, and was more than worthy of winning his Oscar for this. While based on a work of historical fiction, this movie accurately depicts just what goes through the mind of a mentally unstable megalomaniac like Idi Amin. Fantastic piece of filmmaking.
Rated 21 Feb 2009
85
88th
A superb performance of McVoy and mainly Whitaker. Excellent script, using a fictional feature to tell the story of Amin and Uganda. It is very interesting, by showing the human side of an leader, unstable and tyrant.
Rated 09 Apr 2009
70
37th
all de way, forest whitaker's performance is shining and about de only gud thng in dis movie, rest i dont even remember who was dere doing what!
Rated 17 Apr 2009
95
98th
Whitaker really shines as Idi Amin. This is the film where I realized he is one of the greats.
Rated 19 Apr 2009
90
98th
Forest Whitaker gives one of the best performances I've ever seen on film, in my life. It's rare that an actor is able to embody a character so completely. Unreal.
Rated 27 Apr 2009
84
62nd
Very well done with a great performance from Whitaker.
Rated 29 Apr 2009
1
10th
The only good thing about this movie is Whitaker's performance, and the film makers where dumb enough to focus mostly on McAvoys' character.
Rated 07 May 2009
6
34th
Whitaker's performance was the saving grace of this film. Watch the documentary 'General Idi Amin Dada' to gain a better insight into the very real and scary man behind his performance.
Rated 18 May 2009
84
90th
Good good film. McAvoy puts in a great performance, and Whitaker even more so. If the film portrays Amin as he really was, he must have been one crazy sonuvabitch!
Rated 19 May 2009
92
89th
I have not seen one picture with Forest Whitaker that I haven't been completely captivated by. This is another example of his incredible acting. This is an intense movie, with great acting by McAvoy as well. Some scenes are definitely not for the squeamish. The horror of the Amim years are all laid to bare here - you've been warned.
Rated 17 Jun 2009
79
89th
Couldn't be done better. Whitaker lays it all into the character and IS the dictator. It's almost scary.
Rated 18 Jun 2009
97
71st
a perfect oscar award for mr. whitaker!!!he delivers his dialogues with such a force that we leave stunned!!! one of the finest films made!!!!
Rated 26 Jun 2009
65
22nd
eh....
Rated 01 Jul 2009
75
56th
Just like with American Gangster, the lead, in this case Forest Whitaker, holds our interest for every second that he is on-screen, even when the script raises more questions than it answers.
Rated 19 Jul 2009
90
84th
Brutal, but in a good way.
Rated 27 Jul 2009
62
40th
An absolute powerhouse performance in a film that does not live up, especially in the script.
Rated 31 Jul 2009
80
55th
Really good. Whittaker totally steals this movie.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
73
73rd
Two quality lead performances more than make up for any other deficiencies.
Rated 26 Aug 2009
75
61st
The doctor really annoyed me, but Forest Whittaker is breathtaking as Idi Amin.
Rated 08 Sep 2009
85
82nd
Great performances all around. The best horror film of the decade.
Rated 26 Sep 2009
79
75th
The swahili in the movie had me lolling! But good performance from Whitaker
Rated 01 Nov 2009
83
93rd
This is both terrifying and compelling. Whitaker is great as Idi Amin.
Rated 27 Nov 2009
75
72nd
Decent film. BUT! It isn't even a true story! Great work by Forest Whitaker though. He alone makes it worth a watch. Just don't get carried away and start searching for his overly mushy Oscar speech. You'll end up liking him better as a psychopath.
Rated 28 Nov 2009
91
95th
Whitaker's tour de force. Also happens to feature the best fart scene filmed in cinema history.
Rated 04 Dec 2009
85
81st
Whitaker woot woot!
Rated 18 Jan 2010
91
89th
Macavoy and Whitaker are phenomenal in this tale of one of the fiercest tyrants in modern history.
Rated 22 Jan 2010
85
56th
Thrilling drama of a (fictional) life, better by its unusual setting, although the dramatic irony (gap of knowledge) between the audience and protagonist is great and he suffers for it. Also another movie about Africa with a white protagonist.
Rated 28 Jan 2010
70
14th
A fine Whitaker performance thrown away on a silly script.
Rated 07 Feb 2010
81
57th
The story progresses at a rather slow rate and then instantly picks up in the last 35 minutes. The way Kevin MacDonald made the film allowed the audience to understand Nick Garrigan, and allowed the audience to see Idi Amin all different aspects of his life. But at times, it felt as though they were dragging it out. Even through the dragged sequences you could still admire the acting talent and the emotions portrayed by both McAvoy and Whitaker. A good film. But not solid all the way through.
Rated 11 Feb 2010
75
71st
Forest Whitaker's acting is nearly impeccable in this film but what drags it down is the white protagonist shoehorned into the plot which seems intended as someone that mainstream white audiences can latch onto. It feels like a bit of a cop out. The film itself is relentless and nuanced in its portrayal of idi amin but loses steam a bit near the end.
Rated 11 Mar 2010
78
32nd
Interesting period piece but not sure if what it says ultimately adds up to much.
Rated 19 Mar 2010
79
60th
Ther performances, especially Forest Whitaker's, were really good. Towards I found that the film lost its grip because it got a little fuzzy, blurry and not so much coherent any more. Otherwise an interesting film.

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