This is as good of a true story as Fargo was. Only difference is that Fargo was made up. This actually happened. The truth sometimes makes a better story than any fiction. It's rare of course, but so is the main charachter of this story. An African dictator Idi Amin, played in an oscar winning role by Forest Whitaker. Probably the Ugandan Lyndon Johnson, he is a behemoth. A large man with a smothering personality. He's the friendliest man alive until he uses and abuses you. Under him, 300,000 Ugandans died from his paranoia.
Like all movies about Africa, we see this story through the eyes of a journeying white man, this time a Scottish doctor by the name of Garrity. He gains personal access to the dictator by the simple fact that Amin happened to have a distinct fetish for everything Scottish. The man wore kilts for crissakes. Here we have a fantastic film, with distinct charachter arcs for everyone involved. Amin stays the same, it is only Garrity interpretation of him that changes. Children of course are great to play with, but sometimes they can be the cruelest people in the world. There's a great quote at the end, "You're only a child, that's what makes you so scary." It sums everything up perfectly.
I know that Amin is a real person, but I don't know how exact the character of Garrity is. If he is indeed made up, then it's as good a fabrication as the story in Fargo. He plays an essential role in this move (His story presents the inside track on Amin's personality) and it works perfectly. I only wish they had provided some information on what happened to the man at the end of the movie. (Was he a real person?)
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