On Screen - Last King of Scotland

As if we didn't know that Idi Amin was a brutal "leader," there's a movie that's making its rounds on the festivals circuit, about how horrible he indeed was. This story is told from the perspective of a young bright-eyed scottish doctor, who came to Uganda on a medical mission and ended up Amin's personal physician. The innocent doctor was somehow oblivious to the atrocities going on around him, and was shocked. He even tried to do some good, and right the wrongs around him.
mmmm hmmmm (insert my voice saying "yeah right" here)


You know what I'm about sick of people absolving themselves of all the evil they participated in. So you mean you didn't think it was bad or evil when you were carted around in private cars, living in the best homes, having a fabulous life meanwhile the people around you live in abject poverty? PUh-lease spare me the sob story. I don't claim to be a history buff or to even know this doctor's story, but I'm personally tired of the recurring theme of "white man tried to do good in Africa, but the damn Africans were just bad"
I'm sure it will be an excellent film, because Forest Whitaker is playing Idi Amin, and he's one of my favorite actors (based on skill vs. the fine talentless fools I like for just their looks and nothing else). Also relative newcomer (and former classmate, yes I'm totally name dropping, but what afrique chic doesn't) Kerry Washington appears as one of Idi Amin's wives.

The Last King of Scotland will be on limited release in the US, September 27, 2006. So really check the artsy/independent theater for this one. UK release is January 12, 2007.