[This article was originally published in The Jamaica Sunday Observer. This online version has been slightly amended from the original article.]
One of Africa’s bloodiest periods in history makes the Big Screen
‘Charming. Magnetic. Murderous.’ This is the tag line of the recent release by Fox Searchlight Pictures; three words that succinctly describe the subject of this feature presentation: the late General Idi Amin. Based on the eponymous novel by Giles Fodden and firmly grounded in real facts and events, The Last King of Scotland – despite its disingenuous title – is a superbly crafted, harrowing portrayal of one of Africa’s most tyrannical dictators.