Looking for "a bit of fun and adventure" Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy Mr. Tumnus the faun from "The Chronicles of Narnia") a new family practioner one night after dinner with his family spins a globe and selects to go and practice in the first place he picks on the globe. Unfortunately that place is Uganda right after the coup that puts Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker who won an Oscar for his portrayal) in power. As his new life unfolds in Uganda he becomes the personal physician for Amin after he treats the Amin in the aftermath of an accident but not before having an affair with the Sarah Meritt(Gillian Anderson) the wife of his new partner Dr. David Merrit (Adam Kotz) in treating the poor and underprivileged in this tiny Third World country. ***

Powered by the Oscar winning performance by Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland" allows us to see Uganda through Nickolas innocence. Although Whitaker won as Best Actor his turn is really a supporting role-Garrigan played by McAvoy is the main focus of the film allowing us to see the insanity of Uganda through his eyes. Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files") gives a terrific supporting performance providing the conscience of the film and the voice of reason that Garrigan lacks because of his naivety. --- Image & Sound: First up I have to confess that this is a screener disc. As with all of Fox's screener discs there are numerous digital artifacts scattered throughout the film due to over COMPRESSION. As to how this will translate to the final product, I can't say because with the amount of extras in addition to the film itself on a single layer DVD-R screener prevents me from even hazarding a guess. Pixilation is a constant problem throughout the disc particularly during any scene where there is a lot of activity such as Amin's first appearance at the village where Garrigan practices. ***

The grain evident in the film isn't a product of the digital transfer but from the format the film was shot in (Super 16mm) and adding a documentary-like quality to the film that works well. The film was processed with a digital intermediate which is why it looks as good as it does but keep in mind this was blown up from Super 16mm to 35mm for theatrical showing impacting (in a positive way)the look of the film. I should note, however, that not all films should be as squeaky clean as a high gloss Hollywood production and "The Last King of Scotland" looks marvelous with terrific cinematography particularly when you consider that it was shot on a paltry $6 million budget. ***

I would suggest that Fox either begin sending out the final product or, at the very least, burn these screeners more carefully to a dual layer DVD-R as it would allow reviewers to give a more accurate assessment of the image and sound quality of the film. Since that is a big part of what we are reviewing here, it would improve and create a more accurate assessment of the final product allowing us to make intelligent recommendations. ***

Audio sounds very good with dialogue very clear and nice use of directional effects during action scenes. ---

The commentary track by director Kevin McDonald is thoughtful and insightful both into the political situation of the time as well as the issues they faced in shooting the film. His focus though is primarily on the shooting conditions, changes to the script as they progressed through shooting and the creation of the major scenes in the film. He also provides background on many of the supporting actors some of whom American audiences might not be familiar with. ***

First up we get an odd hybrid mix of documentary/behind-the-scenes featurette. It's a terrific documentary providing much needed background for those who might not recall Amin's reign of terror but its mix of fact and fiction is a bit strange. I personally feel that Fox would have done well not to create something that mixes fact and fiction intermingling the two so intimately. While I appreciate this extra and the comments of the people who lived through Amin's reign of terror, I would much rather have seen a documentary on the dictator that didn't confuse this fictionalized account and the real events by intercutting the documentary and film footage. Interestingly, Nicholas' naïve view of the world provides those who aren't all that familiar with Amin to see the events through his eyes. ***

We also get a fine featurette on actor Forest Whitaker discussing his role, how he slipped into Amin's skin and his take on the character he plays from a fictional script to reality. The Fox special "Casting Session" gives us interviews with the cast and was originally released as a promo piece. We also get the original theatrical trailer. ---

Final Words: