The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Réalisateur:

Kevin Macdonald

Scénaristes:

Peter Morgan (screenplay) and
Jeremy Brock (screenplay) ...

Date de sortie:

12 janvier 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Biographie | Drame | Histoire | Thriller

Accroche:

Charming. Magnetic. Murderous.

Intrigue:

Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s

Plot Keywords:

Uganda | 1970s | Doctor | Death | Dictator

Récompenses:

Won Oscar. Another 34 wins & 21 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

A Hugely Exciting African-Set Thriller

Ensemble

Forest Whitaker	...	Idi Amin
James McAvoy	...	Dr. Nicholas Garrigan
Kerry Washington	...	Kay Amin
Gillian Anderson	...	Sarah Merrit
Simon McBurney	...	Stone
David Oyelowo	...	Dr. Junju
Stephen Rwangyezi	...	Jonah Wasswa
Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga	...	Masanga (as Abby Mukiibi)
Adam Kotz	...	Dr. Merrit
Sam Okelo	...	Bonny
Sarah Nagayi	...	Tolu
Chris Wilson	...	Perkins
Dr. Dick Stockley	...	Times Journalist
Barbara Rafferty	...	Mrs. Garrigan
David Ashton	...	Dr. Garrigan (senior)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong violence and gruesome images, sexual content and language.

Durée:

121 min | USA:123 min | Canada:121 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Pays:

UK

Langue:

Anglais | Français | Allemand | Swahili

Couleur:

Couleur

Rapport de forme:

2,35 : 1

Son:

Dolby Digital

Classification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | South Africa:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Australia:MA | France:-12 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18PL (DVD) | Spain:13 | Japan:R-15 | Brazil:16

Lieux de tournage:

Kampala, Uganda

Société:

DNA Films

Anecdotes:

Director Kevin Macdonald and his producers met Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni to get permission to film in Uganda. "He really responded to the idea that we wanted to make a film about Ugandan history in the same way that everybody we met responded," recalls Macdonald. "They wanted this story to be told. They didn't feel prejudiced against us because we were foreigners wanting to tell their story - they were very generous, and the president gave us carte blanche and even allowed us to film in the parliament building while parliament was in session. We also had the co-operation of the army and we were allowed to close down the main street in the city."

Goofs:

Anachronismes: In the scene where the President and the Doctor travel to Entebbe airport in the soft-top Mercedes and are ambushed - two white Bedford trucks block them to the front and the rear. The trucks are AWD Bedford's with a silver AWD logo mounted on the front. AWD took over Bedford trucks only in 1989 some 10-years after Amin was removed from Uganda (in 1979)

Guillemet:

[first lines]
Nicholas Garrigan: Come on! Are youse ready?

Connexions De Film:

Référencé sur "The Cult of...: Hamish Macbeth (#2.8)" (2008)

Bande son:

The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond

A Hugely Exciting African-Set Thriller

With "The Last King of Scotland," Kevin MacDonald has created a bracing, exciting and totally satisfying thriller.

Forest Whitaker gives a titanic performance as Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator who rose to power in the 1970s. James McAvoy plays Nicholas Garrigan, a Scottish physician who travels to Uganda for the adventure and wins Amin's affections, becoming his personal doctor. Garrigan enters into a moral crisis as he begins to realize the kind of man Amin is, and begins to fear for his own life as events spiral more and more out of his control.

Whitaker seizes the chance to play this larger than life character and runs with it -- I've never seen Whitaker give so convincing and transforming a performance. However, as good as he is, McAvoy impressed me more. His performance as Garrigan is not as showy, but it's much more textured and subtle, and his character has the bigger arc from start to finish. Gillian Anderson also does terrific work in a small role as a fellow doctor, who understands things about Amin and the African culture that Garrigan does not.

Unlike other recent thrillers set in African nations ("The Constant Gardener," "Hotel Rwanda"), "The Last King of Scotland" is not greatly concerned with the geo-political implications of Amin's reign. The atrocities he committed against Ugandans are given only the barest of mentions, and the film sticks almost exclusively to Garrigan and the danger he himself faces. Some may think the film is irresponsible for this reason -- that the plight of one man pales in comparison to the plight of thousands, and I can see where a criticism like that is justified. But the movie packs a powerful wallop regardless, and complaints like this seem like quibbles when up against such an entertaining movie.

Grade: A