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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Music Everywhere
Thursday 24 May @ 13:27:52 |
 
by DWIGHT HOBBES
Film: Last King of Scotland
“Last King of Scotland” (DVD) is a flawed gem. Emphasis on gem. Thanks to a tour de force turn by Forrest Whitaker-–who pulled off one of the rare occasions when the institutionally rigged Academy of Motion Pictures actually acknowledged premier artistry when it bestowed on Whitaker the Oscar for Best Actor Award for a hard job damn well done.
To start, with "faction" flicks, you never know--unless you're up on the subject--what license is being taken. So, here, the only thing of which you can be certain is that “Last King of Scotland” is based on the despotic rule of Uganda’s President Idi Amin, who butchered close to half a million human beings, pillaged the national economy as his personal bank account and had the gall to claim that he got a bad rap in the international media. You want to talk blatant black-on-black crime? This is a horrifying example (as is “Tears of the Sun”) of how Africans aren’t far behind the sort of atrocities that characterized the Europeans’ holocaust of World War II.
The film is a disturbing experience about a monster Whitaker realizes with riveting immediacy. Incredibly enough, the actor goes well beyond being merely gifted. The acumen by which he depicts a flesh-and-blood mortal who may have existed within Amin--the inhumane, power-drunk narcissist--absolutely mesmerizes.
We don’t know, though, about the truth of the details. Especially since the script is based on Giles Foden’s novel of the same title, in which, Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a fictional fella from Scotland, accesses Idi Amin’s inner sanctum, beds Amin’s wife and, after surviving torture, amazingly escapes to tell the world at large about the vicious bastard he came to know, grew fond of, and then fear and despise. Regrettably, the story is as much about this made-up guy, Garrigan, as it is about the real-life man, Amin. Bottom line, on the order of beggars not being able to be choosers, it’s in discerning viwers’ best interests to be grateful-–grudgingly if necessary--that Whitaker won the award instead of McAvoy.
We also can rejoice that Gillian Anderson (X-Files) is on board, in a supporting role, as Sarah Merrit. Merrit is a wonderfully intelligent, super sexy woman who serves as Garrigan’s ignored conscience and, in a star-crossed relationship, is his profoundly fetching bedmate. (What else in a Hollywood flick?) Anderson transcends the sketched character to intrigue, affording Merrit a world of gravity. As well, there’s a strong showcase for Kerry Washington as Kay, the wife who has trouble keeping her underwear on. We’re not sure why Kay doesn’t have enough sense to stay faithful to a ruthless monster she knows has spies everywhere. Still, Washington effortlessly holds interest. Pretty much like Anderson, Kerry Washington’s chops are stronger than the material. James McAvoy hits his marks and is credible. It’s just the convenience of his character that defies plausibility. Garrigan is some errant liberal happening upon and exposing the world to a black beast and it’s this need to have a wholesome white hero that makes up more than half the film and, as a result, robs it of substance.
Director Kevin Macdonald cut his teeth and has sustained a thriving career doing documentaries (“Chaplin’s Goliath,” “Howard Hawks: American Artist”). He paces “Last King of Scotland” well and sensibly gives his strong cast room in which to move. Would that he had-–especially considering his background--argued with the studio for a project that stuck to the facts, instead of merely being based on them, and loosely at that.
Ultimately, it’s inarguable: gaffes and all, this is an unnerving account of one of the most despicable power-mongers to ever draw breath.
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