The western world knows Africa through western eyes, whether they belong to journalists, photographers or filmmakers. This becomes one of the downfalls of the new film The Last King of Scotland, as director Kevin Macdonald reinforces by telling the story of real Ugandan dictator Idi Amin through the experience of a fictional Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan.
Set in the 1970s, Garrigan, played by starry-blue-eyed James McAvoy, decides not to use his newly acquired doctor's license in the small Scottish town where his father practices. Instead he sits in his room, spins the globe, closes his eyes, and his finger lands on Uganda, where the brash doctor decides to take his medical knowledge and practice. Unknown to him, Uganda is experiencing a coup, as the real seizure of power by Amin, played by Forest Whitaker, is just taking place. Garrigan arrives at the beginning of Amin's regime, where he constantly attends to sick Ugandans and becomes seduced by the drastic cultural differences, such as Ugandan attitudes, dress and music. He attends a speech given by Amin with Sarah (Gillian Anderson), one of the English doctors who has caught his eye. The charismatic Amin approaches the microphone in a general's uniform and charms the crowd with his broad smile and positive attitude, proclaiming his allegiance to his country, "I am you," he declares. At this, the Ugandan crowd cheers and the ignorant Garrigan joins in their sentiments. Sarah foreshadows events to come as she remains unenthusiastic and skeptical towards the new leader.
Soon after, by an accident, Garrigan is then thrown into close proximity with the African dictator and quickly abandons the poorest parts of the country to enter the wealthy, close circle of Amin, where he becomes his "closest advisor." He stands in for Amin at meetings, dines with him at parties and accepts the women he is given, believing in the surface idealism of the ruler. In turn for his loyalty, Amin showers him with gifts and luxuries such as his own apartment and a new car, while the rest of the county is suffering. The initial skepticism from Sarah has been forgotten. Garrigan similarly ignores the efforts of the English agents, who are trying to keep watch on Amin, citing his loyalty to the Ugandan ruler.
It is by following Garrigan through his relationship with Amin that both the character and the audience realize the developing brutality and irrationality of the dictator and his followers. As Garrigan understands the true nature of how Uganda operates, his closeness to Amin vanishes and the danger he is in becomes considerable. Keeping a front, Garrigan tries to escape from what he has fallen into.
Based on a novel of the same title by Giles Foden, the film is quite accurate to the actual events in Uganda during the 1970s. The Last King of Scotland is just one of the titles that Idi Amin gave himself during his rule, among a variety of others after seizing power from the previous regime of Obote in 1971. The savagery with which he ruled Uganda seems implausible; estimates of people who were murdered under his rule are as high as 500,000. The political turmoil was also extreme, as Amin exiled Asians from Uganda and killed various members of his own staff. But this becomes one of the problems of the film. The unsympathetic character of Garrigan becomes sympathetic because he is placed side-by-side with the unstable dictator. It seems like the director needs the Scotsman to propel the story, when really, the story could be told in a variety of more effective ways in which the audience could understand the realities of Uganda.
The highlight of this film is the acting of Forest Whitaker, as he gives a moving performance as Amin. His presence on screen and his portrayal of Amin's inconsistent personality traits are convincing and true. From his speeches to the Ugandans, to the paranoia he displays after he is almost assassinated, both the power and the weaknesses of Amin's character are well demonstrated.
This film is worth seeing because of the brilliance of Whitaker's portrayal of Amin and also for the power of its content. It is also tightly written, addressing themes of trust, colonialism and the violence of history right up to today. It forces one to consider what is learned from this story and how it applies to the present political state. It is true that the story of Uganda needs to be told, but one cannot help but wonder if there is a better way.
