Synopsis

It was supposed to be a wild adventure in a far-off country, but when young Scottish physician Nicholas Garrigan arrives in 1970’s Uganda, hoping for fun, sun and to lend a helping hand, he finds himself instead on a shocking ride into the darkest realm on earth: the human heart. fresh out of med school, jets off to Uganda, looking for excitement, romance and the joy of helping a country that truly needs his medical skills. Soon after his arrival, Garrigan is called to the scene of a bizarre accident: Idi Amin, the country’s newly installed President, has smashed his Maserati into a hapless cow. Boldly taking the chaotic situation under control, Garrigan impresses Amin as brazenly forthright. Already obsessed with Scottish history and culture, Amin takes an instant liking to Garrigan and soon offers him the unlikely job of becoming his personal physician. It's an incredible offer. One the impressionable young doctor finds very hard to refuse. It's the start of Garrigan's odyssey into the inner circle of one of Africa's most horrific times.

What The Critics Say

"This is director Kevin MacDonald's first feature film, yet along with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, he has produced a motion picture that will become an instant political classic." Bill Zwecker CHICAGO SUN-TIMES "Whitaker's acting resurrects the dictator and his deeds with stunning immediacy." Susan Tavernetti PALO ALTO WEEKLY "A thunderous performance by Forest Whitaker as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin informs and ignites The Last King of Scotland so far beyond its limitations as both a biopic and a political thriller that he becomes the movie itself." Rex Reed NEW YORK OBSERVER "Powerful Academy Award caliber performance by Whitaker." Dennis Schwartz OZUS' WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS "Macdonald has delivered a masterful tragedy, told in his characters' wary eyes." Moira MacDonald SEATTLE TIMES "Forest Whitaker's towering performance as Idi Amin is frighteningly realistic, in his portrayal of the larger-than-life violent, madman dictator president of Uganda. It's the performance of his career, as he displays infectious charm alongside callous violence. The Last King of Scotland is a potent film that superbly describes the volatile African climate of the day." Louise Keller URBANCINEFILE

"Weaving stories made up of the natural fibres of fact intertwined with the man-made fibres of fiction has lately taken filmmaking into brave new worlds that provide both insight and drama. Stephen Frears' The Queen comes immediately to mind. And director Kevin Macdonald showed how powerfully he can wrangle such material, too, with Touching The Void (2003), the dramatisation of an almost lethal mountain expedition. The Last King of Scotland presents him with another opportunity to use real events and people as dramatic fodder." Andrew L Urban URBANCINEFILE "Whitaker is mesmeric as the bombastic despot, perfectly capturing his oddly comic but ultimately brutalistic ­nature." Hugh Reilly THELONDONPAPER "A smart, searing thriller with blistering performances from McAvoy and Whitaker." Nev Pierce TOTAL FILM "Whitaker immerses himself in the role of the mad dictator – you can see the insanity in his eyes; and when he speaks you listen, and unlike many star performances in films like this, he makes you 'forget' you’re watching an actor and instead, helps believe you’re watching vintage video of the President himself. It’s the best performance of his career, and one of the best turns you’re likely to see in a movie this year." Clint Morris WEBWOMBAT "Whitaker approaches the Ugandan dictator the way the finest actors to play Adolf Hitler have done, putting a frighteningly human face on a leader able to enchant the masses and media even as his brutal regime tortured and killed people." David Germain PERTHNOW

The Inside Story Many eyes were opened when Giles Foden first published his novel in 1998, winning the prestigious Whitbread First Novel Award, a Somerset Maugham Award, a Betty Trask Award and the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize. Foden, who moved from England to Africa when he was just five years old and grew up partly in Uganda, had long wanted to write a novel about the strange, terrifying regime of Idi Amin. At last, he found a way past the veils of mythology surrounding Amin and into the intimate heart of the dictator’s world, by creating a fictional young doctor who becomes Amin’s trusted friend and confidante, only to discover he is trapped in a realm that grows more violent and out of control every day. Meshing Dr Nicholas Garrigan’s fictional moral dilemmas with shocking real stories from Amin’s rule, Foden forged an exciting window not only into Uganda’s past but into the very question of how ordinary people react when faced with the worst acts of humanity. He titled the novel The Last King of Scotland after one of Amin’s grandiose names for himself. (Amin’s other extravagant titles for himself included 'Conqueror of the British Empire' and 'Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea.') when producer Lisa Bryer read Foden’s book, she saw it right away as having cinematic potential. "I felt it would fit right into the grand tradition of classic movie thrillers set against a real backdrop, such as "Salvador" and "Missing".I thought it had universal appeal," she said, "anyone who loves a good story is going to be drawn into this one. It’s also very relevant, because you see this kind of history repeating itself today." Bryer’s partner, Charles Steel, was equally intrigued. "This is a timeless story of a young man going out to seek adventure, losing himself along the way and then finding redemption," says Steel. "But it also coupled with this fantastic, revealing relationship, almost a love story, between Nicholas and Idi Amin, a kind of beauty and the beast tale." Bryer and Steel took the idea to Andrea Calderwood, then head of drama at BBC Scotland. "The story of "The Last King Of Scotland" is so unique and it’s got so much resonance," Calderwood says. "It’s not only really entertaining but also genuinely original, not a repeat of something we’ve all seen before. But at the same time, it’s quite daring in saying that Idi Amin was a human being, obviously a very flawed human being, but a human being." It wasn't an easy job bringing this story to the bigscreen but finally a screemplay emerged. "The adaptation was very difficult," notes Bryer. "You had to find a way to hold the audience’s compassion for Nicholas Garrigan because he’s the one you have to follow into the world of this brutal dictator. Finding that delicate balance between a young man’s innocence and a madman’s arrogance and violence was the key." And in case you are wondering, yes, they did plan to film in Uganda. That meant finding a director who would work in on location Uganda. Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald turned out to be the right choice. "Kevin is extraordinary," Bryer notes, "I’ve never worked with anyone like him. He’s so well read and bright and with his documentary background, his research is second to none. We couldn't have made this film without him." The next step was to get permission to film in Uganda. That meant meeting with the President of Uganda himself, Yoweri Museveni. It turned out to be an amzing meeting. "When the day came, John Nagenda, the President's Special Media Advisor, made sure we were all in our best dress and on our best behavior, then ushered us into a huge room with Ugandan flags flying. Kevin, the three producers, line producer Andrew Wood and Ugandan location manager Emily Mabonga were all lined up opposite eight ministers and officials and a beaming president, with TV cameras and press photographers covering the whole thing," Bryer revealled. "Halfway through the meeting President Museveni asked me where my tribe came from. 'Israel and South Africa Mr President,' I answered, hoping not to have blown the meeting. Two hours later we were all ushered out and told by his ministers that the President was not only incredibly happy to have us film in his country, but that he would give us the full use of his army, his parliament and his ministers!" "One of the amazing things we discovered in Uganda is that there are lot of people who still have a great deal of respect for Amin. People in the West don’t understand that he was seen as a pretty incredible person as well as using violence indiscriminately. What was perhaps simultaneously most attractive and dangerous about Idi was how mercurial he could be. He was somebody who started with great intentions, but was brought down by his own character flaws. People originally thought he was warm and funny. They thought this man could never hurt a fly. I think all those contradictions are fascinating," Macdonald said. When it came to casting the role of Idi Amin, the producers are adamant they only had one actor in mind and what a coupit turned out to be because the actor they chose, Forest Whitaker, is absolutely sensational in this role. "At first, I had only very dark images of this man," Forest admits. "I saw him as a big, angry maniac. But as I read the novel and did more research, I began to have a different understanding. When you look at old footage you can see that Idi was also an extremely charming man. The challenge for me as an actor was to play a really complete character, not just a stereotyped image." After heavily researching Amin, Whitaker came to the conclussion that the much hated Dictator Idi Amin (who spoke ten languages), "started to fear that he was going to lose power, he became extremely paranoid and developed into a much darker figure." Whitaker doesn't do an impersonation of Amin either. "I did not want to do a direct impersonation," he explained, "but I did study tapes of Amin to help me understand him better as a man. I worked out the way he talked, and studied Swahili because that was his first language. I was most concerned with grabbing a certain essence of the man, to give the sense that whatever else he was, he was a real person." "Forest’s portrayal was phenomenal," says producer Charles Steel. "He’s captured both the largeness of the character and the danger. There’s a tremendous range and realism to his performance." Amongst a very good support cast there is another standout, James McAvoy. "The challenge was to make Nicholas feel like a real human being, and not just the lens that you see the story through," says McAvoy who plays Dr Nicholas Garrigan. "I wanted to make him interesting right from the start because he ends up doing some very difficult and despicable things, and that was a lot of work. Even though he’s not a real person, there had to be a truth and reality to him." McAvoy says he was blown away by Whitaker's portrait of Amin. "You really get to see the full Amin," he notes, "his good side and his humanity as well as that part of him where you never knew where you stood, where you never knew if he was going to laugh with you or going to kill you. He was a man who kept people on their toes and Forest is absolutely brilliant playing him. You might think of Forest as being a calm and gentle character but nothing is scarier than a good man being terrifying." Ugandan Stephan Rwangyezi who plays Cabinet Minister Jonah Wasswa in the film has high hopes for the film. "Ugandans have opened a new chapter," he says. "I am hoping that this film becomes the first but not the last to tell the stories of Uganda. I hope "The Last King Of Scotland" will give a picture of what Uganda really is, because there are also so many very positive sides to our country." History Of Idi Amin 1925: Idi Awo-Ongo Ongoo is born into the Kakwa tribe near Koboko in Northwestern Uganda to a farmer father and an herbalist mother, said to be a sorceress.
1930s: Idi is raised in Buganda by his mother after his parents separate. Receiving only a rudimentary school education, he develops great skill in sports. He converts to Islam and changes his name to Amin Dada.
1946: As a young man, Amin joins the King’s African Rifles, a regiment of the British colonial army which is then in charge in Uganda. Two years later he is promoted to Corporal and by 1958 he is a Platoon Commander.
1951: Amin attains his first real fame, becoming the Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion of Uganda – a title he will hold for the next nine years.
1952: Amin serves with the British Army during the violent Mau Mau revolt in Kenya. Officers describe him as a "born leader."
1961: Rising to the rank of Lieutenant, Amin becomes one of only two commissioned native Ugandan officers under British rule.
1962: Troops under Amin’s command are accused of carrying out a massacre involving torture and other heinous acts (including live burials) in the neighboring Turkana region of Kenya. However, the authorities decide not to pursue a court-martial action against Amin.
1962: Uganda receives its independence from Britain on October 9 and the country is now led by Prime Minister Milton Obote. During this time, Amin makes his first trip to Israel for paratrooper training.
1964: Amin is promoted to Deputy Commander of the Army and Air Force of Uganda.
1966: Hounded by reports of financial scandal, Milton Obote suspends the Ugandan constitution, arrests half of his cabinet and installs himself as President for Life. Meanwhile, Amin establishes himself as a national hero in the Battle of Mengo Hill, a victorious attack on the King of Buganda, the dominant tribe in the country. Later, Amin will claim he was protected because bullets cannot harm him.
1969: After several close-call assassination attempts on his life, a nervous Obote removes Idi Amin from his command post in the armed forces.
1971: Amin stages a successful coup against Obote – one that is backed by the British -- and the nation celebrates what many hope is the beginning of a new era. Amin declares himself President and rides a wave of passionate support, making bold promises that include abolishing the secret police, freeing all political prisoners, reforming the economy and holding free elections. Initial international response to his leadership is overwhelmingly positive.
1971: Six weeks after Amin seizes power, a bomb explodes at Makindye Prison in Kampala killing 32 army officers crammed in a cell. By the end of his first year in power, it is estimated that Amin has killed 2/3 of the former Ugandan Army. Amin begins establishing death squads as part of the so-called “State Research Bureau” and authorizes assassinations and executions (usually by beheading) of those he believes are still loyal to Obote.
1972: Amin expels the country’s entire Asian population, saying that he wants Uganda to be a “black man’s country.” Over 50,000 Indians and Pakistani families are given just 90 days to evacuate and are allowed to take only as much as they can carry in their arms.
1972: Amin’s campaign against his supposed rivals heats up, as hundreds of thousands are kidnapped and killed. Among them are not only his own parliamentary ministers and government officials but also judges, clergy, professors, journalists, business executives and a wide range of ordinary citizens who fall under suspicion for any reason at all.
1972: Britain and Israel begin to withdraw support for Amin. He now turns to Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi and the Soviet Union for aid.
1973: The United States closes its embassy in Uganda.
1974: The body of Kay Amin, Idi’s second wife, is found dismembered in the trunk of a car belonging to her lover, a Ugandan doctor, who apparently poisoned him. No complete explanation for the gruesome events is ever put forth.
1975: Amin, still very popular across Africa, is elected President of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
1976: An Air France jet filled with Israelis and Jews en route to Paris is hijacked by pro-Palestinian terrorists and lands at Entebbe Airport after Amin offers safe haven. Amin becomes personally involved in the hostage negotiations – but is surprised on the 4th of July when Israeli commandos invade the airport and stage a successful raid, freeing most of the passengers. Two hostages are shot during the hour-long operation and one is left behind: British-Israeli grandmother Dora Bloch, who will later be brutally executed. In response, Britain breaks off all diplomatic relations with Uganda.
1978: The situation in Uganda deteriorates further as inflation soars, armed rebellions break out and coup attempts become increasingly commonplace. Meanwhile, as a distraction from domestic problems, Amin launches an attack on the neighboring country of Tanzania.
1979: Victorious Tanzanian forces take Kampala and Amin flees to Libya, taking four wives, 30 mistresses and at least 20 of his children. He then goes briefly to Iraq before settling in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the rest of his life.
1980: Milton Obote returns to power in Uganda, but his regime is as violent as Amin’s. Armed conflict fulminates in the Northern part of the country, taking thousands upon thousands of lives, and leading to a civil war that continues to this day.
1986: Yoweri Museveni, once an exiled opponent of Amin’s in the 1970s, becomes President of Uganda and begins the restructuring of the devastated country.
1989: Idi Amin makes a last attempt to return to Uganda but is stopped in Kinshasa, Zaire and forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia.
2003: Idi Amin dies of kidney failure in Saudi Arabia.
2006: Continued progress in Uganda has led to considerable economic growth and improvements especially in the fight against rampant AIDS/HIV and in childhood education. However, the violent rebellion that began in the early 1980s continues to wage in Northern Uganda resulting in abductions, attacks and severe humanitarian crises. The Verdict "It's a brilliant performance and an enthralling interpretation of Dictator Idi Amin by Forrest Whitaker who has finally found a role that will make everyone sit up and take notice of the skills he has honed over the years in such noteable films as "The Color of Money", " Bird", "The Crying Game", "Panic Room" and then "Phone Booth". The former college footballer who went on to gain two music scholarships and has always been a noticeable addition to the films he has appeared in must be the frontrunner for this years Oscar after picking up both the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guilds Awards. The gentle giant gives a giant of a performance in this engrossing film directed skillfully by Kevin Macdonald from the screenplay by "The Queen" writer Peter Morgan & the writer of another story featuring a Queen, Jeremy Brock who scripted "Mrs Brown". The support cast are excellent especially James McAvoy who played Mr Tumnus (the Faun) in "The Chronicles of Narnia"; Kerry Washington ("Ray"), Simon McBurney ("Bright Young Things" and David Oyelowo ("A Sound of Thunder") as D. Junju. Must see movie. 4 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND" stars .......
Golden Globe & Screen Actors Guild Award winner Forest Whitaker ["Platoon", "The Crying Game", "Panic Room" and "Phone Booth"]; 2005 NAACP Image Award winner Kerry Washington ["Ray", "Mr & Mrs Smith", "Fantastic Four" and "Little Man"]; Golden Globe, EMMY and Saturn Award winner Gillian Anderson ["The X Files", "The House Of Mirth" and "A Cock and Bull Story"]; Simon McBurney ["Onegin", "Bright Young Things", "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Friends with Money"], David Oyelowo ["Dog Eat Dog", "A Sound of Thunder", "Derailed" and "Shoot the Messenger"] and James McAvoy ["Bright Young Things", "Wimbledon", "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Penelope"] as Dr Nicholas Garrigan.
"THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND" was .......
directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald ["Chaplin's Goliath", "One Day In September", "A Brief History of Errol Morris" and "Touching the Void"]; screenplay by Jeremy Brock ["Mrs Brown" and "Charlotte Gray"] and Peter Morgan ["Dear Rosie", "The Silent Touch", "The very Thought Of You" and "The Queen"]; adapted from the novel by Giles Foden ["The Last King Of Scotland"]; cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle ["28 Days Later", "Dogville" and "Millions"]; original music by Alex Heffes ["One Day In September", "A Brief History of Errol Morris", "Touching the Void" and "Dear Frankie"] production design by Michael Carlin ["Fever Pitch", "The Heart Of Me", "What A Girl Wants" and "New York Minute"] and costume design by Michael O'Connor [Emma", "Oscar and Lucinda", "Proof of Life" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"]. Run Time 118 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Fox Searchlight Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2007 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved