Has anyone here seen this yet? I heard it is really good. Forrest Whitaker is getting a lot of attention for his portrayal of Ugandan Dictator and syphillitic butcher Idi Amin.

I was born in 75, so I'm not old enough to remember good ol' Idi's tenure as President of Uganda. So I have done some web searches and - what a stark raving lunatic! Makes me REALLY want to see it now!

Idi was a buffoon, & a junior grade Hitler wannabe...

"Do you know what I Idi Amin, Amin, do you know what I Idi Amin?"

-Chuck E. Weiss-

IIRC, he had his henchmen kill politicals with sledgehammers in front of him for entertainment. Quite the guy. Here's one that happened on his watch -

Raid on Entebbe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe)

No joking here- I'm being serious, for a change. Does anyone recall the name of the general who went by the name General Buck Naked?

He was a vicious general, who kidnapped children, killed their parents, tortured them, turned them into killers, and sent them into battle as his soldiers to slay the enemy.

I was reading about him, studying him, a few years ago. I lost track of the story, and his name, after I got into my accident.

I remember Idi Amin. Brutal tyrant with a strong dose of sheer buffoonery. He killed thousands, colluded with German and Palestinian terrorists and expelled the East Indian population from Uganda (at least he did not kill them all). He was a dispicable and ferocious man and I cheered when Tanzania invaded and tossed him out. Died in Saudi Arabia living in luxury. Never faced any justice for his crimes.

Oh yea, I do want to see this flick.

I want to see this movie too - to see the portrayal of Idi Amin by Forest Whitaker ought to be very interesting. I've loved watching his performances in Panic Room, Ghost Dog, the Crying Game, etc. It's sked to be release to DVD in April so I've placed it on my netflix list.

This is a very intense film. Toward the end, I looked over at my girlfriend and she looked like she was about to crawl out of her seat. Whitaker deserves all the praise he is receiving for this role.

I finally saw this. It was OK and if even close to accurate in the portrayal of his regime, perhaps gives you a glimpse of the madness in Africa.

It is a long way away from Blood Diamond or Hotel Rwanda though. Both of those films have an intesity level that this one just didn't quite reach.

Forest Whitaker was amazing in this movie. I felt this movie was just as intense as the others but on a more personal level. The look in Forest's eyes in some scenes speak volumes.

I think the reason some people may find this movie not as intense is some of the other movies mentioned are based on recent happenings not what happened in the 1970's (out of sight out of mind).

Forest Whitaker was amazing in this movie. I felt this movie was just as intense as the others but on a more personal level. The look in Forest's eyes in some scenes speak volumes.

I think the reason some people may find this movie not as intense is some of the other movies mentioned are based on recent happenings not what happened in the 1970's (out of sight out of mind).

For me, there was a big issue with the timeline. Amin took power in '71 and Entebbe came in '76. The way the film played out seemed like 6 months to a year, not 5 years. Did you ever get that feeling while watching it? Amin went from lucid to paranoid over a 15 minute interval. Although you do not know for sure how long it was from Garrigan's arrival to his meeting Amin, my sense was that it was early on. What followed for me was spectacular time compression but no sense of that in the film itself and why I did not feel it was as intense as it could have been. (However, Gillian Anderson never looked better!)

Also, by the way the film was constructed it insulated Amin directly from the crimes that were commited for him. IIRC, you never see him make a direct order, everything is implied. None of us were there but I find it hard to believe that Amin, seizing the country by military coup, could have held onto Uganda for nearly a decade without getting his hands dirty. Seeing his involvement in the political purges would have strengthened the dichotomy of Amin that Garrigan was beginning to witness firsthand, jocular & magnetic on one pole, murderous thug on the other. Amin almost seemed to be shaped by the events unfolding around him rather than being the one at the tiller.

Now.....I am not saying that it was a bad film as I did "enjoy" it and that is how it played out for me. What I liked best about the film though came at the very end when you got the close-up shot of the real Amin, eyes flicking back & forth. Whitaker was great but seeing the animated genuine article is truly bone chilling.

Well - dont forget is was a fictionalized account - not a true factual based one - it said that at the beginning of the movie.

Well - dont forget is was a fictionalized account - not a true factual based one - it said that at the beginning of the movie.

Next you are going to tell me Raiders of the Lost Ark was not a documentary either.

;)