Great performances tend the eclipse the fine work committed by the rest of the cast.
Take Dustin Hoffman’s Oscar winning turn in “Rain Man.” Where would Raymond Babbitt be without Charlie Babbitt, arguably Tom Cruise’s finest performance to date?
A similar imbalance hit “The Last King of Scotland,” the film which gave Forest Whitaker a richly deserved Oscar.
His larger than life portrayal of the Ugandan madman Idi Amin bowled us over, in part, thanks to the sly teamwork supplied by James McAvoy as the doctor at his beck and call.
“Scotland” follows a young, headstrong doctor named Nicholas (McAvoy) who moves to Uganda to help the poor – and inject some adventure into his fitful life.
He finds work treating members of a poor village but his destiny is changed by a chance encounter with the country’s new president, the large, irrepressible Idi Amin (Whitaker) .
The president is so impressed by Nicholas’ demeanor, and bedside manner, that he hires him to be his personal physician.
Neek-oh-luss, as Amin warmly calls him, becomes part of the president’s inner circle, a confidante of the first order. But the young doctor has no idea Amin plans to rebuild his shattered country one dead citizen at a time.
Whitaker is pitch perfect as Amin, revealing the leader’s boundless charisma and child-like rages. He’s a prototypical strongman who needs to bend reality to fit his needs, but it’s hard not to be charmed by his approach to leadership.
Nicholas can’t help but like the big lug, and their early scenes together remain the core of the film. McAvoy is terrific from his opening scene, revealing a free spirit with too much talent and not enough common sense.
His character, a fictional construct set within the historical context, represents the hope – and naivete – around those who saw Amin as a savior.
That aspect of the film is magnified in the Blu-ray extras.
The choice nugget, beyond the deleted scenes and commentary from director Kevin MacDonald, is the featurette on the real Amin.
“Capturing Idi Amin” tracks the leaders rise from the ranks of the British military to the leader of his homeland – where his regime would kill roughly 300,000 people.
Yet some Ugandans are already forgetting his nasty handiwork, while others cling to the glowing image he once had. It’s always frustrating to hear actors speak of humanizing horrible characters even if it’s an actor’s duty to find the soul within even soulless roles.
But the documentary also includes Ugandans who praise the late leader, pushing aside his atrocious crimes. It’s a key reason why “Scotland” is more than just a gripping biopic. It’s a refresher course in evil audiences need to see.
(Photo: Forest Whitaker earned an Oscar for his blazing performance as Ugandan President Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland,” out now on Blu-ray.)
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I totally agree with you here. Especially about Whitaker’s deserved Oscar. After watching this I was able to enjoy Ghostdog much more. Something about his lack of dialogue vs his continual speaking between the two movies. And I don’t mean that in a critical way.