#tbt The Last King of Scotland review

Happy Throwback Thursday! This week I'm reviewing the 2006 drama The Last King of Scotland, starring James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, and Kerry Washington. So, I have mixed feelings about this movie. It had some great acting (Forest Whitaker won an Oscar for his performance) and an interesting story, but I just didn't love it. So basically, the movie's about Nicholas Garrigan (McAvoy), a man just out of medical school in the 1970's, who wants to do something with his life and actually make a difference in the world. He decides to put his doctor skills to use in Uganda. After being there for a few days he goes to see the new "president" of Uganda, Idi Amin (Whitaker), give a speech. He ends up having to help out Amin with his doctor skills (doctor skills really come in handy), an Amin likes him so much he asks him to be his personal physician. Then, a bunch of stuff happens and Nicholas realizes that Idi Amin is actually a brutal dictator who just kills people he doesn't like. I would have liked this movie a lot more if the camera work had been done differently. It's filmed in a documentary "shaky" camera style that really annoyed me. I mean it annoyed me so much that during the movie I sometimes couldn't pay attention because of the irritating camera work. I suppose this technique was used to give the film an "edgy" feel, but it just plain annoyed me. Other than that it was a pretty good movie. Forest Whitaker is fantastic as Idi Amin and James McAvoy did a pretty decent job also. Kerry Washington did a terrific (and underrated) job as one of the many wives of Amin, who just wanted her child to be safe. Overall, the movie was fine. I would recommend it but it's not on the top of my list. Happy Viewing! You can send me a tweet or follow me @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!