Forrest Whitaker plays Idi Amin almost to perfection. In the beginning of the film you are almost swept away with his enthusiastic performance, almost liking the character Idi Amin and hating yourself for liking him because you know that he was a monster. Whitaker pulls off Amin’s charisma brilliantly.
The film focuses on the young Scottish doctor that Idi Amin takes into his fold. The film makers want you to like the doctor, they want you to sympathise with his naiveté. They want you to leave the film feeling relief for him and despite your best efforts you do so. I fought against that feeling of relief for him, despising his naiveté and his ignorance, believing he deserved what was coming to him, yet still the film makers achieved their goal; I sighed a very heavy sigh of relief for the young doctor when he boards that plane. I did get irritated at the end of the movie when they said what happened to Idi Amin but did not update what had happened to the doctor.
The descent of Idi Amin into madness is shown slowly, subtlety at first and then it becomes more obvious about two thirds of the way in to the film. You start to get very fidgety in your seat as you see the doctor starting to dance around like the proverbial cat on a hot tin roof as Amin blows hot and cold without a moments notice.
Forrest Whitakers gives an outstanding performance as Idi Amin, one that is believable and realistic. You get the feeling he studied miles and miles of film footage of Amin to get the character right. The accent too is also believable and very well done. Bravo Whittaker, you were brilliant.
