The Last King of Scotland

A brilliant film that somewhat exceeded my expectations, and you don't have to go far to find the main reasons. The depiction of the real events is very well done and the film not only goes by quickly but also builds up very impressively. Moreover, the atmosphere is strengthened by the serious political premise from a socially very unstable and tense setting, and in particular by the excellent performance of Forest Whitaker, who exudes incredible authority and generates unpleasant chills from the very first second. James McAvoy isn't lagging behind either, and he puts his life on the line, but it's Whitaker who steals the show and ultimately all the awards for himself. At first I had some sympathy for his character, but by the end I wanted to wring his neck. And that is what acting is mainly about. 85% (01/23/2013)

When the best thing about a whole movie is the main character's shirt, something is wrong. To be fair, though, there are two scenes that make this nonsense is survivable: the initial disposal of Castle's family has a certain amount of impact, and the fight with the Russian muscle-head to the accompaniment of an operatic aria, which is not without its comic exaggeration. The rest, full of ridiculous, pathetic poses, does not do credit to the creators, nor to the fluffy and dynamic comic book premise itself. Although I think Travolta shouldn't climb in front of the camera anymore, here he was mysteriously tolerable, while the mediocre Thomas Jane might not need a Shakespearean training for such a role, but I resisted the onslaught of my diaphragm every time I saw his badass face. But during the scene when the elevator goes up and there's Thomas turning on it, with a taut body under his tattered tank top and a harsh look on his face, I burst out laughing, I really couldn't help it :) (07/06/2007)

I was expecting it to be mainly about Forest Whitaker's performance, which is also partly true, but the film has a story that surprised me quite a bit. I didn't expect anything from it, but it's not that bad. At least not in the beginning. It seems like there will be several interesting storylines here, but in the end, the attention, almost blindly, focuses only on the mad dictator in Whitaker's excellent portrayal. It's a shame, story-wise it's an unused opportunity. Surprisingly, the film is not as harsh as I expected. Or am I really so numb? (04/02/2014)

The five-star Forest Whitaker in an otherwise average three-star film. This film shows how advanced Euro-American cinema approaches developing countries, where the main character of a film set in central Africa must necessarily be a white European to cater to the audience in economically advanced countries. Thus, the story of a British guy who comes to Africa to have fun and gain some life experience is attached to the drama of a dictator from Central Africa. However, the script failed to convincingly justify the existence of the main character, because the clear standout and magnet of the film is the self-proclaimed president Idi Amin, whom Forest Whitaker undoubtedly gave more charisma than the dictator had in reality. In my opinion, the main character should have been a black African who, for some reason, got close to the new leader of the country and was forced to witness all the madness and face Amin's sudden mood swings and chronic suspicion. It may not have been possible to completely ruin such a promising character as Amin, with long rows of corpses and countless crimes behind him, but Whitaker seized the opportunity and made the most of it, winning an Oscar. I wouldn't say it's his best performance on the big screen, but it is these socially critical roles that are awarded film prizes. Overall impression: 60%. (01/01/2012)

An ordinary low-budget film with a serious and interesting theme, a captivating performance by Forest Whitaker, and a few rougher scenes, other than that, it is uninteresting. The linear plot has many dull moments, it is quite predictable, and only occasionally does a more intense scene ruffle the waters. I understand the Oscar nomination, but otherwise, this film doesn't have higher ambitions. It's nice that it's based on a true story, but that doesn't guarantee success, although I have no doubt that this symbolic “guarantee of an interesting spectacle” will find its fans, who will defend it to the death. Honestly, it didn't entertain me. (08/04/2008)