This is the kind of film that leaves you impressed but very uncomfortable at the same time. What makes it interesting is how the film tricks both the audience and the main character into admiring Idi Amin before revealing the horror underneath. At first, Amin comes across as charismatic and even oddly charming, which makes the later brutality hit much harder.
Forest Whitaker completely dominates the film, his performance is unpredictable enough that every scene feels tense, not surprised in the slightest that he won an Oscar.
The most unsettling part is that the movie doesn’t present evil as obvious from the beginning. Instead, it shows how power and blind loyalty slowly corrupt everything around it. The relationship between Amin and the Scottish doctor almost feels like a psychological game, which makes the political story surprisingly personal.
The reason I wouldn’t give it a higher rating is because parts of the story feel uneven, especially when the fictional doctor’s personal drama starts overshadowing the real tragedy in Uganda.
This is the kind of film that leaves you impressed but very uncomfortable at the same time. What makes it interesting is how the film tricks both the audience and the main character into admiring Idi Amin before revealing the horror underneath. At first, Amin comes across as charismatic and even oddly charming, which makes the later brutality hit much harder.
Forest Whitaker completely dominates the film, his performance is unpredictable enough that every scene feels tense, not surprised in the slightest that he won an Oscar.
The most unsettling part is that the movie doesn’t present evil as obvious from the beginning. Instead, it shows how power and blind loyalty slowly corrupt everything around it. The relationship between Amin and the Scottish doctor almost feels like a psychological game, which makes the political story surprisingly personal.
The reason I wouldn’t give it a higher rating is because parts of the story feel uneven, especially when the fictional doctor’s personal drama starts overshadowing the real tragedy in Uganda.
