US/UK (2006): Drama/History/Thriller
Adapted by Jeremy Brock from Giles Foden's fact-based, award-winning 1998 novel, the film draws us into Idi Amin's inner circle through the experiences of Scottish physician Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a fictionalized composite of real-life figures. With the incredible naivete and recklessness of youth, twentysomething Garrigan flees provincial Scotland for what he thinks will be the exotic adventure of Uganda, where he'll treat the sick in a mission clinic. Stripped of his romantic notions about Africa within days of his arrival, circa 1971, Garrigan welcomes the rise of the charismatic, seemingly magnanimous Amin (Forest Whitaker), who overthrows the corrupt, scandal-ridden Obote government and declares himself president. So when fate brings Garrigan and Amin together, the ambitious young Scotsman rashly leaps at the chance to become the president's personal physician. It's the proverbial devil's bargain for Garrigan, who enjoys unprecedented access to Amin, a devotee of all things Scottish -- and the president's alluring third wife, Kay (Kerry Washington). Over time, however, Garrigan slowly begins to realize that the paranoid, increasingly unstable Amin is systematically torturing and killing anyone who poses a threat to his rule, and that he, Garrigan, has unwittingly helped the despot strengthen his terrible grip on Uganda. Directed by Kevin MacDonald; also features Gillian Anderson and Simon McBurney. -- Tim Knight, Reel.com (Fox Searchlight - Web site)
1 nomination, 1 Award
·Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 2006: Forest Whitaker