Movie review - "The Last King of Scotland" (2007) ***1/2

Kevin MacDonald makes a knockout dramatic feature film debut with this enthralling account of life under Idi Amin. Although based on a novel rather than a true story it still works, mostly because nothing the made up character (James McEvoy) does is that historical - there's one thing involving an Amin wife (Kerry Washington, a so so actor with a great behind) which I thought was made up but Amin did have a wife who was killed and sewn up. The film has a great look and feel: soundtrack, interesting photography, actual Ugandan locations. Acting from the leads is top notch: Forest Whittaker deserved his Oscar as Amin, a combination of madness, rat cunning, insanity, burly charm; McEvoy is also good in a part which in many ways is harder as he is the straight man - he makes likeable a character who isn't really likeable, a sort of callow backpacking Scot just out to have a good time and shag all he can, even if its the wife of another man (Gillian Anderson pops up as one). At the end the Entebbe hijacking comes in and I had a horrible feeling that the Israelis would coe to McEvoy's rescue but fortunately it does not happen.