i enjoyed the film while i was watching it, but afterwards, when i began reading up on it, i read that the scottish doctor wasnt real, the mutilation wasnt real, all these things just werent true. and it was kind of discouraging. i mean, there are already plenty of movies based more on the legends of amin, and i thought this one was supposed to be a bit closer to the truth. overall i guess it was. maybe i should have read the book first. im ok with a few things changing here and there, but not so much with outright lies. meh.
still though, a good movie, obviously forest whitaker is amazing.

‘Worth consuming’ solely for technical appreciation. The acting and direction are both amazing, but the story falls flat. Garrigan is not well developed, nor are several of the more minor supporting characters who dash in and out of the plot with little or no explanation.

They tied the ending together far too neatly, lending the impression that everything is alright now. Additional footnotes at the end of the film with updates on Uganda (or any number of equally troubled African nations) would have been a nice touch and expanded the scope.

Though I’m mad that Forrest Whitaker failed to win an Emmy for his guest stint on ER, I’m thrilled that he won an Oscar for his portrayal of Uganda’s infamous 1970’s leader, Amin. In fact, I could have used more Forrest Whitaker and less young Scottish cutie, James McAvoy. True, McAvoy’s hot and he flashes some skin, but Whitaker steals the spotlight. After decades of being underrated as an actor and ignored by the academy, I’m glad to see Whitaker get some recognition for his outstanding performance in this film. Plus, the soundtrack’s rather beat-astic and groovy!

i am not usually a fan of forrest whittaker but he was amazing in this flick. i found myself being charmed and captivated. i was pulled in. i also read the book. although the movie was pretty close, i thought there were some major discrepencies(sp?). sara is not the dr’s wife. yes they do have a relationship but he’s not an adulterer. also she plays kind of an important role in the hostage crisis later on. kay does sleep w/a muzungu but it is not garrigan and he does not perform the abortion nor does he agree to it. her lover does, it’s botched and the rest we saw. ng does not try to kill amin. he is asked many times but always fails because of his “love” and awe of the man. his fellow dr is not shot in front of the hostages nor is ng hung up on hooks. he does spend a day in the prison and witnesses the other dr’s death. ng definetly does not escape on the plane. he leaves much later on after a harrowing encounter w/ troops from tanzania. he is forced to get a uganda passport to prove his loyalty to amin by becoming an ugandan citizen and denouncing his british citizenship. plus there’s the time when he does get back to england and eventually scotland and the journal. i still think it’s a worthwhile movie and i liked the bonus features. hey forgot to watch deleted scenes! so maybe some of those issues were addressed.

Oh, look. Another Hollywood movie set in Africa starring some white guy. Huzzah.