# The Last King of Scotland **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-king-of-scotland/453934 "2008-06-23T17:03:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-king-of-scotland/453934/1 "2008-06-23T17:03:09Z")
I watched this film over the weekend. What a brilliant performance by Forest Whittaker as Idi Amin and it’s no surprise to learn he won an Oscar for his portrayal of the barking mad didctator. Just one nitpick: I don’t think it was neccessary to show the horrible mutilations inflicted on Garrigans lover, Kay ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-king-of-scotland/453934/2 "2008-06-23T17:11:28Z")
Not necessary, perhaps, but historically realistic. That sort of pointless, gruesome brutality really did happen under [Amin’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idi_amin) rule. He might not have actually been a cannibal, but I wouldn’t be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-king-of-scotland/453934/3 "2008-06-23T17:33:04Z")
I remember watching this movie a year or so ago. Man it was a roller coaster. You never knew when the Scottish guy was going to do/say something stupid that would cause Idi to shoot him on the spot and every scene always seemed to include that potential for something to go horribly wrong. I love Forest Whittaker in just about any role he takes on. Great actor. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-king-of-scotland/453934/4 "2008-06-23T18:31:29Z")
[QUOTE=Kinthalis] I remember watching this movie a year or so ago. Man it was a roller coaster. You never knew when the Scottish guy was going to do/say something stupid that would cause Idi to shoot him on the spot and every scene always seemed to include that potential for something to go horribly wrong. I love Forest Whittaker in just about any role he takes on. Great actor. [/QUOTE] I don’t really think Garrigan, the Scot, said anything stupid at all. He was initially swayed by Amins rhetoric and as such he became sort of overprotective towards him. This unfortunately lead to the execution of the medical guy whose only crime was trying to secure medical supplies for the country. It was after Garrigan learned of the execution he realised Amin was a total nutjob, paranoid to the extreme ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-king-of-scotland/453934/5 "2008-06-23T21:39:27Z")
Amin was a horrible person but a great role for an actor. It would have been dishonest not to make clear how nightmarish things got under his rule. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-king-of-scotland/453934/6 "2008-06-23T21:43:50Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Not necessary, perhaps, but historically realistic. That sort of pointless, gruesome brutality really did happen under [Amin’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idi_amin) rule. He might not have actually been a cannibal, but I wouldn’t be surprised. [/QUOTE] Exactly that kind of stuff- while Garrigan is a fictional character, Kay was a real character. She is believed to have been dismembered _after_ her death, however, for Idi was at heart an old softy. When he fled he found refuge in Saudi Arabia and lived there the rest of his life. I am so glad to have as our ally people willing to take in a friend in need. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-king-of-scotland/453934/7 "2008-06-23T21:50:19Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I am so glad to have as our ally people willing to take in a friend in need. [/QUOTE] That really is one of the least bad reasons for thinking Saudi Arabia sucks big yak cock.