An excellent portrayal of one of the worst dictators in the history of the African continent, this movie earned Forest Whitaker his first, well deserved Best Actor Oscar. He is so scary and effective in the role of the murderous head of state that every time he’s on screen, your alert level goes up by a few notches.[SPOILER PARAGRAPH] Whitaker portrays Idi Amin, a general who snatches power from a corrupt government via a coup to become the new leader of Uganda. He is initially loved by the people for his promises to lead in their name and to work towards improving their quality of life. However, drunk with power, he quickly turns to the ways of the people he ousted, brutally eliminating anyone who opposes his rule. He crosses paths with a young doctor, who had come to Uganda to help the poor and who naively gets sucked into Amin’s world of deception and death. When he realizes what is going on around him, it will not be easy for him to pull out of it and start anew.
Every element in this movie deserves great praise. Direction, script, cinematography, and music are all extremely good, but the performances are what really make this film earn its grade.
Besides Whitaker, James McAvoy, a then still little-known British actor, gives a performance so natural and subtle in the role of the young doctor, you totally believe he is genuinely clueless about what he is getting himself into and you feel sorry for what his situation comes to in the end.
Whitaker and McAvoy make this little seen movie based on a real story, one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Grade: 9
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