Macdonald taps into Amin’s swagger and sinister side.
In mass murder biopics, after the letter ‘H’ as in Hitler finally comes the ‘I’ in Idi Amin. The Ugandan president who came to power via coup d’etat might have been great at creating infrastructures and delivering speeches but he was a little too stringent in crowd control. A hybrid that borrows heavy on the fictional and perhaps not enough in the factual, The Last King of Scotland points to historical timeline without getting into the facts. After his intense bond that doesn’t break portrait in doc film Touching the Void, Kevin Macdonald examines another pairing – this time displaying how pairings aren’ fit to stick together. The ante of a critically acclaimed strong performance from Forest Whitaker and the film’s politically inspired subject matter should prevent the Fox Searchlight title from getting tossed aside during the busy autumn period.
A young doctor whose civilization is cramping his style sets off on a noble journey to have a little fun and perhaps make a small difference in the world. The oddity about James McAvoy’s fictionally created protagonist is that even for those who might not have read the novel, this character comes across as a device, or as an entry point into a storyline that surely doesn’t need the white man’s among black people perspective. Much of scribes Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock’s screenplay flourishes because of the groundwork found in Giles Foden’s novel. By detailing private and public behind-the-scenes type moments that were for the most part fictional and in some parts factual during the dictator’s reign is what contributes to the viewer’s magnetism of the relationship that develops on-screen.
The nectar of the film are the numerous tension-filled moments that in the first half come across with a sense of humor and in the second half comes across with a sense of dread – credit Macdonald for his notion of instilling anxiety without letting viewers know if there is a safety net below. When added to the galvanizing portrayal from Whitaker who totally immerses himself in the role then we get a full sense of the man’s charisma and unpredictability. Dogme-DOP Anthony Dod Mantle also adds weight to the presentation giving the film a jittery in-and-out focus and a grainy docu-look, most of the locations and conjoined brown-colored tints give a visual sense to time, space and emotions.
The more difficult issues here are that historical interpretation of events doesn’t merge well with the implausible and far-fetched relationship between the two leads. Hollywoodizing the storyline is one thing, but the narrative negotiates itself into a landing spot that almost exploits the true cruel nature behind Idi Amin’s reign. There are some plus-side factors here, but here’s hoping that Hollywood puts a cap on scenarios that are concentrate on white man perspectives and privileges.
