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The Last King Of Scotland Blu-ray Review

Great performances by Whitaker and McAvoy make “The Last King Of Scotland” worth watching.

‘Scotland’ revolves around a young Scotish man who is hired to be the mentally unstable Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s personal physician. The movie is based on true events but contains fictional events/storylines.

To be honest, ‘Scotland’ is not the type of movie you want to watch more than once. The script and story are both pretty routine in terms of the narration (ie seeing a true story through a different character’s eyes). With that said, this is still an engaging drama that is made watchable for one reason- the performances. You may recall that Forest Whitaker won the Academy Award for Best Actor back in 2007 for his role here and deservedly so. Whitaker gives a commanding performance as he completely transforms himself into Idi Amin. Not to be forgotten is James McAvoy who holds his own against Whitaker. Along with “The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe,” this was really one of McAvoy’s first major rules and he does a great job. I hope he gets more roles like this in the future because it’s clear he has a bright future in the biz.

Summary: Give “The Last King Of Scotland” a rent if you’re looking for a well-made drama. Also, f you’re interested in learning more about the real Idi Amin Dada, I recommend seeing the documentary titled ”General Idi Amin Dada” from Criterion.

The 2.35:1 1080p picture quality contains some dirt specs, but this is a good Blu-ray transfer that contains crisp looking colors.

The 5.1 DTS-HD audio track is about what you’d expect for a catalogue title. In other words, it’s good and contains clear dialogue and music.  

Extras:
* 7 deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Kevin MacDonald.
* “Capturing Idi Amin”- A featurette on the real Idi Amin.
* “Forest Whitaker Idi Amin”- Forest Whitaker talks about Idi Amin.
* “Fox Movie Channel Presents- Casting Session: The Last King Of Scotland”- A featurette that talks about the cast (namely Whitaker).

* Theatrical trailer.

* A solid commentary by director Kevin MacDonald.

February 21, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 1 | Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, The Last King Of Scotland Blu-ray Review