REEL CRITICS:Echoes of today in well-acted ‘Last King’

When Gen. Idi Amin Dada became president of Uganda in 1971, there was much rejoicing in the streets. A giant of a man with a dazzling smile, he charmed all as he pledged his devotion to improving the lives of his people.

By the time he was ousted from power eight years later, more than 300,000 of those people would be dead.

“The Last King of Scotland” is a mixture of fact and fiction, and features a powerhouse performance by Forest Whitaker as the murderously mad dictator, who could be childlike one minute and terrifying the next.

Equally impressive is James McAvoy’s portrayal of a young Scottish doctor, seduced by Amin’s charisma and power, who serves as his personal physician and advisor.

Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (McAvoy), fresh out of medical school and working in a small Ugandan village, is a fun-loving lad with an eye for the ladies.

He treats Amin (Whitaker) for a minor wound and the president is instantly taken with him after learning he’s from Scotland. Amin is a great fan of all things Scottish, and the movie’s title is one of many the ruler bestowed upon himself.

Garrigan is at first reluctant to join the leader’s staff, but he is soon mesmerized by the man and his extravagant lifestyle. Overly confident of his position in Amin’s inner circle, he chooses to ignore what is really going on in Uganda and makes some extremely foolish choices with no thought of the consequences.

As Amin’s paranoia escalates, so does the bling on his uniform, as well as the body count.

“The Last King of Scotland” gives us a brief portrait of a beautiful country and a people victimized by a monster. And while Idi Amin may be gone, he is not the last of his kind in the world today.

The historic photo of six Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima is the centerpiece of this film made with Oscar-quality production values. Steven Spielberg joins forces with director Clint Eastwood to bring this troubling and complex story to life on the screen.

The movie is based on the book written by the son of one of the flag-raisers. The story of that photo and its aftermath on the soldiers has the ring of truth only an insider could bring to the tale.

Nearly 7,000 Marines died in the brutal battle for that island. But the three surviving men depicted in the photo are plucked out of combat to become heroic poster boys for the government’s drive to raise money for a war with fading popularity.

Eastwood brings the stark style of “The Unforgiven” and “Mystic River” to this latest effort. The gritty combat scenes are reminiscent of the D-Day invasion depicted in “Saving Private Ryan.” But the scenes are revealed in bits and pieces, mostly in flashback.

They juxtapose the brutal reality of war with the plush hotel rooms and lifestyle of the manufactured heroes, who now doubt their own purpose.

This is a major film that may disappoint those expecting a truly epic war movie. It’s the effects on the hearts and souls of the war’s participants that are the real focus of this story.

JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office.

‘Flags’ shows brutal realities of war“Flags of Our Fathers” is a somber meditation on the nature of war, the heroes of combat and the politics that result from both.