The Last King of Scotland

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The Last King of Scotland

R

2007

2h 1m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

182 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan becomes the personal physician and close confidant of dictator Idi Amin. Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new position of power, he soon comes to realize that Amin's rule is soaked in blood, and that he is complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin's grasp.

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Critics Consensus

Forest Whitaker's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.

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Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Feb 3, 2007

3/6

Having cut his teeth on documentaries, Kevin Macdonald acts as if a shaky-cam aesthetic alone is enough to fuel dramatic tension.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

Feb 2, 2007

The horror, when it finally moves to the centre of the screen, gives us Amin's barbarity in close-up -- and he's still smiling.

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Matthew Leyland

BBC.com

Jan 12, 2007

4/5

Hard to believe that an actor previously renowned for his gentleness could play such a monster, but the transformation is seamless.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 8, 2024

3.5/4

Neither overly political nor overly intellectual, The Last King of Scotland is a powerful, accessible biopic of one of history’s recent madmen.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Sep 24, 2023

Bigger than life, volatile, unstable, whipping from childlike generosity to ferocious vengeance to crippling paranoia in seconds, it’s the kind of role that invites accolades and [Forest] Whitaker deserves them all...

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

May 12, 2020

An electric chemistry between McAvoy and Whitaker allows us to suspend our disbelief at the doctor's feckless gullibility...

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Noel L

@RT15930389 12 hrs ago

Kind of depressing but what an extreme real life example of a toxic friendship

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 6, 2026

The Last King of Scotland = a *4.5* movie!

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S. O

@Col._Angus Jul 29, 2026

A great story about what I'm sure are a lot of things that may have happened. Would have preferred a documentary and not a story about a doctor that didn't exist. Amazing performance by Whitacre though. Enjoy it. It's a movie.

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Christopher C.

@PapaTangooo May 20, 2026

Whitaker is a marvel. Fantastic performance.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 1, 2026

Based on a true story in 2 hours and 1 minute. Winner of 2007 Academy Award for Best Actor (Forest Whittaker). The worldwide gross is $55,758,874.00 over a production budget of $6,000,000.00. Over 9 times the theatrical costs.

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Anna L

@AnnaL Dec 26, 2025

Sad but very interesting. The title is weird, does not really match the movie. I just watched it to see how a new actor could take an Oscar instead of DiCaprio, but he really did a great job.

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Kevin Macdonald

Director

Forest Whitaker

Idi Amin

James McAvoy

Nicholas Garrigan

Kerry Washington

Kay Amin

Gillian Anderson

Sara Merrit

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Synopsis

While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan becomes the personal physician and close confidant of dictator Idi Amin. Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new position of power, he soon comes to realize that Amin's rule is soaked in blood, and that he is complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin's grasp.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Producer: Lisa Bryer, Andrea Calderwood, Charles Steel
Screenwriter: Peter Morgan, Jeremy Brock
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: DNA Films, Fox Searchlight, FilmFour
Rating: R (Language|Gruesome Images|Sexual Content|Some Strong Violence)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 19, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.6M
Runtime: 2h 1m

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