Since Suebe beat me to the Hot Seat post, I'm quickly revising this thread.

Got The Last King of Scotland in through Netflix this weekend. Probably rented it because it had been up for an Oscar for Best Picture (The Departed won), but Forest Whitaker did win Best Actor.

It's based on the true story of General Idi Amin, who ruled Uganda during the 70's. The movie follows the story of a rich, recently graduated doctor, who decides with a spin of a globe, to help people in Uganda. On a chance encounter, he ends up treating General Idi Amin for a minor injury, and is asked to be his personal doctor. The story evolves into what is the brutal world in which Idi Amin rules his country.

Now, I like Forest Whitaker, and have watched several of his movies, and this, to me, is his finest work. You don't see him as Forest Whitaker, but as a brutal ruler. Forest definitely deserved the Oscar for his performance.

The movie kept me enthralled for the full two hours, and I walked away wanting to know more about Idi Amin, whom I'd never heard of before this movie. I even ended up watching some of the extras, and I highly recommend it. Especially the part about Forest becoming Idi Amin. It had alot of footage of Idi Amin, and explained alot about him. Honestly, it wasn't until the end of the movie that I realized it was based on true events.

There is violence, some nudity, and one shot of a dismembered body. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed Hotel Rwanda, and in ways it's similar, but The Last King of Scotland, to me, was much better. I really got pulled into this movie, and plan to read the book, under the same name.

Rent it!

Sounds good. But what's it got to do with Scotland?

My wife asked me the same question halfway through the movie, and you'd think it maybe had to do with the Scottish doctor, but you'd be wrong, as I was. Come to find out the doctor was actually fictional, and didn't really exist, although, Idi Amin did have several Brits as his personal doctors.

Through the extras, I learned that the real Idi Amin loved Scotland. He had once said if he could live anywhere besides Uganda, it would be Scotland. Don't quote me on this, but I recall from what I've learned of Idi Amin, the Brits were the one that helped him in his rise to power. For some reason, possibly because Great Britian once ruled Uganda, Idi, I believe, was sympathic to the Scots with the way the British treated them. Anyway, he once made an offer to be the last king of Scotland.

I'm still researching him, but maybe some history buff could help clarify.

I'm glad you liked it and even more glad you reviewed it.

I watched it and didn't like it at all.....although I wholeheartedly agree with you on the greatness of Forest Whitaker. I was going to review it, but just couldn't bring myself to do it....

Really, what didn't you like about it? Did you like Hotel Rwanda?

I'd never heard of Idi Amin or what happened back then. While I know that it was based loosely on real events, I was fascinated from a historical standpoint. It also made me appreciate being an American more, and made me realize the constant political back and forth that we do, is trivial compared to what some people are, or have gone through.

I haven't seen Hotel Rwanda, but it is on my Netflix list.

I really can't point a finger at what I didn't like, but it was more along the lines of the story seemed to never really get anywhere...Like I was waiting for a big climatic something that never really came.

and I wasn't impressed with the acting job of James McAvoy

Huh, that's weird, because I did feel like it built up to a climatic finish. I did wish there was a little more where it ended, but I won't go into it here, to ruin it for others.

I will say that I'm partial to stories about human suffering, especially when they are based on real events. I'd be curious as to what you think of Hotel Rwanda, when you watch it. While good, I didn't feel it had as powerful a character as the one played by Forest Whitaker.

And I didn't have anything to base James McAvoy's performance against. I don't think I've seen anything else he's been in.

Thanks for your input, icepigs. It's interesting, and now I'm curious as to how others that have seen it, felt.