Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.
- Writers
- Peter Morgan(screenplay)
- Jeremy Brock(screenplay)
- Giles Foden(novel)
- Stars
- Writers
- Peter Morgan(screenplay)
- Jeremy Brock(screenplay)
- Giles Foden(novel)
- Stars
Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga
- Masanga
- (as Abby Mukiibi)
Dick Stockley
- Times Journalist
- (as Dr. Dick Stockley)
- Writers
- Peter Morgan(screenplay)
- Jeremy Brock(screenplay)
- Giles Foden(novel)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOn the DVD director's commentary, Kevin Macdonald states that during filming of Idi Amin's visit to the village near the mission, many of the local extras thought it was the real Idi Amin on stage giving speeches.
- GoofsMost shots of Entebbe Airport include a long line of African flags running alongside the terminal, between it and the runway. The line includes the flag of the rebel Republic of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), which neither Uganda, nor any other country, recognized.
- Quotes
Idi Amin: You are British?
Nicholas Garrigan: Scottish. I am Scottish.
Idi Amin: Scottish? Ha! Ha! Why didn't you say so?... Great soldiers. Very brave. And good people. Completely. Let me tell you, if I could be anything instead of a Ugandan, I would be a Scot.
Nicholas Garrigan: Right... Really?
Idi Amin: He. Except for the red hair, which I'm sure is attractive to your women, but which we Africans, we find is quite disgusting.
- ConnectionsEdited from General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (1974)
- SoundtracksNakawunde
Performed by Percussion Discussion Afrika
Written by Mike Musoke and Herman Sewanyana
Copyright Control
Licensed courtesy of Percussion Discussion Afrika
Review
Featured review
Great Acting! and Gillian Anderson!
I like movies based on real people in history. Because of the Oscar buzz surrounding Forest Whitaker now, I knew this movie is about Idi Amin. This is of course a familiar name in my childhood (asked in General Information contests), but I don't really know much about him, except that he was a dictator.
This film has a documentary feel to it. It is really very realistic, even if upon reading background info that the Dr. Garrigan character is fictional. Even though granted that the Idi Amin regime was compressed into a coherent Hollywood storyline, it does not feel contrived. The final sequence of events at the Entebbe Airport was very suspenseful indeed.
Idi Amin was not really the lead character in this movie. It is actually Dr. Nicholas Garrigan. Being a physician, I could not help but be able to identify with his situation and dilemmas. Would you accept to be the personal physician of a country's president upon his personal request? It seems to be an offer and career opportunity you could not refuse.
There is sex and violence in this movie. I could not agree though with Dr. Garrigan's rashness regarding his love affairs, particularly his morals of hooking up with wives of his supposed friends. But considering that this movie is set in the 1970s, that was a totally different world pre-HIV. The violence, what can I say? After watching one violent film after the other, you get sort of anesthetized already. That said, the scene with hooks at the airport was still something else! The acting is very good. Forest Whitaker has channeled the Idi Amin persona very effectively. I could feel the scary and suffocating craziness whenever he is on screen. There's something about this performance being based on a real character though. I think it would be harder to essay a totally fictional character since you have to create this new character from scratch. And I feel James McAvoy (who was actually Mr. Tumnus in "Narnia"!) did so very well as Dr. Garrigan. You dislike him, yet you can empathize the stickiness of his situation.
Before I end this review, I have to mention that I was very happy to see the luminous Ms. Gillian Anderson again. I totally did not know she was in this film and it was a welcome surprise. She handled her few scenes as the wife of a volunteer doctor very well indeed. I hope she gets meatier movie roles in the future.
This film has a documentary feel to it. It is really very realistic, even if upon reading background info that the Dr. Garrigan character is fictional. Even though granted that the Idi Amin regime was compressed into a coherent Hollywood storyline, it does not feel contrived. The final sequence of events at the Entebbe Airport was very suspenseful indeed.
Idi Amin was not really the lead character in this movie. It is actually Dr. Nicholas Garrigan. Being a physician, I could not help but be able to identify with his situation and dilemmas. Would you accept to be the personal physician of a country's president upon his personal request? It seems to be an offer and career opportunity you could not refuse.
There is sex and violence in this movie. I could not agree though with Dr. Garrigan's rashness regarding his love affairs, particularly his morals of hooking up with wives of his supposed friends. But considering that this movie is set in the 1970s, that was a totally different world pre-HIV. The violence, what can I say? After watching one violent film after the other, you get sort of anesthetized already. That said, the scene with hooks at the airport was still something else! The acting is very good. Forest Whitaker has channeled the Idi Amin persona very effectively. I could feel the scary and suffocating craziness whenever he is on screen. There's something about this performance being based on a real character though. I think it would be harder to essay a totally fictional character since you have to create this new character from scratch. And I feel James McAvoy (who was actually Mr. Tumnus in "Narnia"!) did so very well as Dr. Garrigan. You dislike him, yet you can empathize the stickiness of his situation.
Before I end this review, I have to mention that I was very happy to see the luminous Ms. Gillian Anderson again. I totally did not know she was in this film and it was a welcome surprise. She handled her few scenes as the wife of a volunteer doctor very well indeed. I hope she gets meatier movie roles in the future.
helpful•6222
- 3xHCCH
- Feb 24, 2007
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- 2 hours 3 minutes
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