The Last King of Scotland (2006)
89%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
49 wins & 32 nominations total
Forest Whitaker’s performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption
The Last King of Scotland” is a movie that will make you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster ride. With a shaky-cam aesthetic that will make you feel like you’re in the middle of the action, this movie is not for the faint of heart. But if you’re up for it, you’ll be rewarded with an electric chemistry between McAvoy and Whitaker that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whitaker’s transformation into Idi Amin is seamless, and his performance is nothing short of amazing. This movie is a commendable action film that will leave you breathless.
Production Company(ies)
Art Matters Inc., BBC Television, Edelman Family Fund,
Distributor
Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Kampala, Uganda
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some strong violence and gruesome images, sexual content and language
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 1m
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Language(s):English, French, German, Swahili
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Country of origin:United Kingdom, Germany
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 19, 2007 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 17, 2007
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Simon McBurney, David Oyelowo, directed by Kevin Macdonald, written by Peter Morgan, Jeremy Brock, biography, drama, R rating, Lisa Bryer, Andrea Calderwood, Charles Steel produced, $17.6M box office, reviewed by Wesley Morris, Joshua Rothkopf, Sandra Hall, Matthew Leyland, Derek Malcolm, Anthony Quinn, Wes Anderson, directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, MPAA rating, Fox distributor, Idi Amin, Nicholas Garrigan, Kay Amin, Sara Merrit, Stone, Dr Junju, gruesome images, sexual content, some strong violence, English language, 2h 1m runtime, released in theaters on January 19, 2007, released for streaming on April 17, 2007
Worldwide gross: $48,618,191
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $69,648,860
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,194
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,595,296
US/Canada gross: $17,606,684
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $25,222,770
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,335
US/Canada opening weekend: $142,899
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $204,713
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,659
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $8,595,407
Production budget ranking: 1,726
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,628,627
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $56,424,826
ROI to date (est.): 427%
ROI ranking: 320
James McAvoy – Nicholas Garrigan
Kerry Washington – Kay Amin
Gillian Anderson – Sara Merrit
Simon McBurney – Stone
David Oyelowo – Dr. Junju
Director(s)
Kevin Macdonald
Writer(s)
Peter Morgan, Jeremy Brock
Producer(s)
Lisa Bryer, Andrea Calderwood, Charles Steel
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
49 wins & 32 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Winners
All Critics (184) | Top Critics (61) | Fresh (160) | Rotten (24)
November 24, 2011 | Rating: 2/4
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Having cut his teeth on documentaries, Kevin Macdonald acts as if a shaky-cam aesthetic alone is enough to fuel dramatic tension.
February 3, 2007 | Rating: 3/6
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The horror, when it finally moves to the centre of the screen, gives us Amin’s barbarity in close-up — and he’s still smiling.
February 2, 2007
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Hard to believe that an actor previously renowned for his gentleness could play such a monster, but the transformation is seamless.
January 12, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Matthew Leyland
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Whitaker commands his scenes as effectively as he did in Clint Eastwood’s film about Charlie Parker.
January 12, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
So often the gentle giant, Whitaker changes tack here with an intimidating display of girth and guile, mixed in with the outward signals of untouchable nuttiness.
January 12, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Anthony Quinn
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
An electric chemistry between McAvoy and Whitaker allows us to suspend our disbelief at the doctor’s feckless gullibility…
May 12, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
A commendable action film rather than astute political portrait.
November 3, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Kaleem Aftab
The List
In Idi Amin, Whitaker reaches his artistic zenith.
February 27, 2018
Charles Mudede
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
The Last King Of Scotland will no doubt be picking up an armful of gongs come award season, and rightly so; it’s not only lovingly shot and acted, but it evolves into one of the best thrillers of recent memory too.
November 3, 2012 | Rating: 4/5
Ali Gray
TheShiznit.co.uk
February 9, 2011 | Rating: 9/10
Heather Huntington
ReelzChannel.com
Pit stop for white liberal guilt and neocolonial pillaging
August 28, 2009
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion…
Plot
Having graduated recently from the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan, flies to Uganda to work at a missionary clinic run by Dr David Merrit and his wife, Sarah. Before long, Garrigan has a chance encounter with the new President, General Idi Amin, who, right from the start, feels an immediate sympathy for him. As one thing leads to another, after a while, Idi Amin invites Nicholas to become his physician and modernise Uganda’s health care system: a once-in-a-lifetime offer that the doctor cannot refuse. However, more and more, Garrigan finds himself trapped in the moral abyss of Idi Amin’s murderous megalomania, putting his very soul at risk. When Nicholas finally summons up the courage to rise above the madness, he becomes embroiled in a desperate fight for survival.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises Forest Whitaker’s performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin, calling it a “role of a lifetime.”
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