Dr Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) is newly qualified and desperate to escape the restrictions of his strict father's practice. Travelling to Uganda on a whim, a chance encounter sees him installed as personal physician to the magnetic, but dangerous new President Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker).
At first Garrigan is seduced by the luxuries his new position affords, but as he is gradually made aware of the atrocities of Amin's regime, he discovers he is trapped. A desperate affair with one of Amin's wives (Kerry Washington) places him in even greater peril, and Garrigan realises he must escape the country or surely die.
Released in 2006, this fictional tale, based on Giles Foden's novel, was the first feature film from documentary director Kevin Macdonald. A brilliantly assured debut, it won much acclaim, but the film's greatest strength is a towering, Oscar-winning performance from Whitaker, who manages to convince as both man and monster. Powerful and disturbing, it's a film not to be missed.
The Last King of Scotland is a Film programme that first aired in 2006 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
