the last king of scotland book review

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THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

by Giles Foden ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 1998

A remarkable debut novel by British journalist Foden (The Guardian), who describes—in the best Conradian tones—an idealistic young physician’s descent into the maelstrom of Idi Amin’s Uganda. In a remote and wintry corner of Scotland, Dr. Nicholas Garrigan is trying to look back—through the snow piling up outside his window—on his days in the tropics. The son of a Scots Presbyterian minister, Nick grew up in the wee town of Fossiemuir and saw very little of the world beyond Edinburgh before passing his medical exams and accepting a post with the Ministry of Health that sent him to Uganda in the early 1970s. This, then, “is a story of various strange happenings in Central Africa, happenings which involved the author, Nicholas Garrigan, in a professional and private capacity.” And how: Nick landed in Uganda just as Idi Amin was transforming his Emperor Jones’style autocracy into a full-fledged reign of terror, and Nick not only survived the bloodletting but rose (through the typical succession of circumstantial flukes that controls these things) to become Amin’s personal physician. From his place at the Emperor’s right hand, he witnessed all the absurdities, barbarisms, and venalities symbolizing much of postcolonial Africa —tribal wars, the scapegoating of Asian “profiteers,” palace intrigues, assassinations. There was one horror, though, that Nick couldn—t be prepared for: he actually came to like Amin as a person. This affection makes for difficulties when, in the novel’s foreground action, British operatives try to enlist him in a plot to poison the dictator: his refusal to take part in the scheme makes for even more trouble after Amin falls from power and Nick must seek asylum in a Britain that now views him as an alien functionary. In the end, of course, Nick comes to see that he has been an alien from the start—a recognition that’s little consolation but no minor achievement. Lurid and delightful, written with wit and real maturity. (First serial rights to Granta)

Pub Date: Nov. 10, 1998

ISBN: 0-375-40360-4

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1998

THRILLER | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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New York Times Bestseller

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

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A CONSPIRACY OF BONES

by Kathy Reichs ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2020

Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

A week after the night she chases but fails to catch a mysterious trespasser outside her town house, some unknown party texts Tempe four images of a corpse that looks as if it’s been chewed by wild hogs, because it has been. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her department’s earlier practice ( The Bone Collection , 2016, etc.), she has no intention of calling in Tempe as a consultant and promptly identifies the faceless body herself as that of a young Asian man. Nettled by several errors in Heavner’s analysis, and even more by her willingness to share the gory details at a press conference, Tempe launches her own investigation, which is not so much off the books as against the books. Heavner isn’t exactly mollified when Tempe, aided by retired police detective Skinny Slidell and a host of experts, puts a name to the dead man. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.E.’s splenetic outbursts. Before he died, it seems, Felix Vodyanov was linked to a passenger ferry that sank in 1994, an even earlier U.S. government project to research biological agents that could control human behavior, the hinky spiritual retreat Sparkling Waters, the dark web site DeepUnder, and the disappearances of at least four schoolchildren, two of whom have also turned up dead. And why on earth was Vodyanov carrying Tempe’s own contact information? The mounting evidence of ever more and ever worse skulduggery will pull Tempe deeper and deeper down what even she sees as a rabbit hole before she confronts a ringleader implicated in “Drugs. Fraud. Breaking and entering. Arson. Kidnapping. How does attempted murder sound?”

Pub Date: March 17, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9821-3888-2

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020

GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | SUSPENSE | THRILLER | DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS | SUSPENSE | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER

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by Kathy Reichs

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The Last King of Scotland Hardcover – October 27, 1998

• Print length 335 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Knopf
• Publication date October 27, 1998
• Dimensions 6 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• ISBN-10 0375403604
• ISBN-13 978-0375403606
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review.

From Nicholas Garrigan's catbird seat, Foden guides us through the horrors of Amin's Uganda. It would be simple enough to make the dictator merely monstrous, but Foden defies expectation, rendering him appealing even as he terrifies. The doctor "couldn't help feeling awed by the sheer size of him and the way, even in those unelevated circumstances, he radiated a barely restrained energy.... I felt--far from being the healer--that some kind of elemental force was seeping into me." And Garrigan makes a fine stand-in for Conrad's Marlow as he travels up a river of blood from naiveté to horrified recognition of his own complicity. As if this weren't enough, Foden also treats us to a finely drawn portrait of Africa in all its natural, political, and social complexity. The Last King of Scotland makes for dark but compelling reading. --Alix Wilber

From Publishers Weekly

From kirkus reviews, from the inside flap, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf; First Edition (October 27, 1998)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 335 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375403604
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375403606
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• #66,424 in Suspense Thrillers
• #102,570 in Action & Adventure Fiction (Books)

About the author

Giles foden.

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The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden

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B+ : a dreamlike account of life under African dictator Idi Amin, very well done.

See our review for fuller assessment.

   From the Reviews : "(T)he book seems so overlong and tired that I suspect it coasted through its first reviews on the strength of its subject alone." - Michael Gorra, Boston Globe "Gerade weil dieser bis in kleinste historische Details recherchierte Roman nicht den Widerstand gegen Hitler, Stalin oder andere angeblich meistverachtete Gestalten zum Gegenstand hat, dringt er tiefer vor als bloß bis unter die Haut." - Wolfgang Steuhl, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung "(A)n audacious, shrewd and spirited first novel." - William Boyd, Literary Review "Überhaupt hätte viel gestrichen werden müssen -- Passagen von ermüdender Weitschweifigkeit, hausbackene Szenen, grosse Mengen redundanter Floskeln und so manch stilistischer Nonsens. Sprache ? Drei minus. Man ärgert sich -- und kommt nicht los. Und dies ist der wahre Wert des Buchs: Dass es den Leser zurückwirft auf sich selbst." - Uwe Stolzmann, Neue Zürcher Zeitung "With his dark and gruesome first novel The Last King of Scotland , the young British author Giles Foden has created a complex picture of one man�s corruption, corruption in the form not of an ignoble act but of an ignoble failure to act." - Brooke Allen, The New Criterion "(A)n uncomfortable amalgam of black comedy and historical tragedy." - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "This is a wonderful read, beautifully written, every description drenched with a deep sense of Africa. Giles Foden's first novel is a work of art." - Victoria Clarke, The Spectator "That so passive a protagonist should become the motive force for such a compelling narrative, that this tale of temporizing should provide the focus for so sharp a psychological study, both bear testimony to the assurance of this memorable first novel. Giles Foden moves effortlessly through every register from farce to gruesome tragedy, transfiguring his depressing subject with energy and panache." - Michael Kerrigan, Times Literary Supplement "Er schildert glänzend, wie der junge -- schottische -- Leibarzt sich immer mehr in ein Netz von Faszination und Widerwillen gegenüber seinem groben und rohen Patienten verstrickt." - Jens Hohensee, Die Zeit Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review 's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.

The complete review 's Review :

        The Last King of Scotland of the title is none other than former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada, the psychopath who ruled this African nation from 1971 to 1979. He felt a particular affinity with the Scots -- having been treated well by them, learned from them, and believing to have a common enemy with them in England. The hero of Giles Foden's book -- insofar as it is not Idi Amin himself -- is a hapless Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan. Coming to Uganda as an idealist he inadvertently finds himself pulled into Amin's orbit, becoming his doctor.        In this position -- though it always remains a peripheral one -- Garrigan becomes witness to Amin's atrocities. Foden paints an excellent picture of the horrors of Amin's Uganda, almost all of it told through the veil of Garrigan who does not really want to see what is happening around him. Foden also very adeptly captures the creeping horror which appears only intermittently and slowly. Evil is not as obvious as we would like to believe (or readers of John Grisham insist). In this Uganda black and white mix in continually but only gradually darkening shades of grey. Even rolly polly Amin is portrayed as the charismatic (and in many respects appealing) figure that he was.        Garrigan is the perfect observer, marked by his inaction. The British eventually want him to try to kill Amin, but here as elsewhere he begs off. He does not want to be involved, preferring his entirely passive position. This is useful through much of the narrative, but it is also enervating. Garrigan is too hapless, too peripheral, too ineffectual. The reader wants to shake him into action, frustrated by his almost complete passivity.        The book is also a bit too carefree in placing Garrigan at the center of history. He arrives on the eve of Amin's takeover, he tries to flee the country from Entebbe airport the day the hijacked plane lands there, and so on. What is surprising then is the almost trancelike passing of this whole ignominious episode of history. Before we even realize it Amin has been deposed (with guess who riding in with the victorious Tanzanian forces). The historical moment that Amin represented is given little weight, the complex socio-political factors involved only lightly touched upon, and the international forces and interests involved largely only alluded to. This is acceptable, but makes it difficult for those who are not familiar with Ugandan history (though Foden explains the state of Uganda and its pre-Amin difficulties fairly well).        For what it is, though, it is an excellent book, and the picture of Amin striking. Foden captures the ogre well, and uncomprehending Garrigan is a useful foil. The atrocities that are shown (including a horrific passage through Amin's private torture chambers) are well done and seem entirely appropriate. Several reviewers complain about the humor in the book being inappropriate to the subject matter. We did not find any aspect of the book that was actually funny. Garrigan is pathetic, not a bumbling fool, and only Amin is an occasionally comic figure -- but the comedy is in his unpredictableness, which is as much a part of what is terrible about him.        Garrigan does faint a few times too often for our liking (come on, Giles, you can do better than that), and he "forgets" one or two episodes that Foden apparently couldn't figure out how to write. Otherwise the book is very, very well written, with a number of haunting scenes and a solid ending. We particularly like the distant, dreamlike way Garrigan sees Uganda -- while acknowledging that this is also one of the books weaknesses.        We do recommend this book highly. It helps if the reader is familiar with Uganda (one reviewer asked his students what the name Idi Amin meant to them, and they responded that they did not know who that was, which would make enjoyment of the book a bit more difficult), but it is a very well-written book in any case. There are some scenes in it which will disturb the squeamish, but we find them entirely appropriate and justified.        Recommended for those interested in Africa, those interested in the banality of evil (about as banal as we have ever come across, and almost perfectly conveyed as such), and those seeking a decent, entertaining read.        Note that the English reviews were generally considerably more favorable than American ones, i.e. it seems to be more to English tastes than American ones.

About the Author :

       Giles Foden was born in England in 1967. His family moved to Africa when he was a child. Since returning to England he has worked at the Times Literary Supplement and The Guardian .

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The Last King of Scotland

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Forest Whitaker's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Kevin Macdonald

Forest Whitaker

James McAvoy

Nicholas Garrigan

Kerry Washington

Gillian Anderson

Sara Merrit

Simon McBurney

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The last king of scotland, common sense media reviewers.

Brutal look at the consequences of absolute power. No kids.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Based on the real-life story of notoriously brutal

Violence is pervasive, including shooting and tank

Sexual activity/naked body parts in two or three s

Over 20 uses of "f--k," plus other profa

BMW, Holiday Inn.

Frequent drinking and some smoking (cigarettes and

Parents need to know that this movie is based on the real life of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and includes references to massacres, revenge killings, torture, and abuse. Some scenes depict such violence explicitly, including bloody bodies, shooting, knifing, and grisly torture. There are also some scenes of sexual…

Positive Messages

Based on the real-life story of notoriously brutal dictator Idi Amin, the film implicates as well those non-Ugandans who made his rise to power possible, including the British and the CIA.

Violence & Scariness

Violence is pervasive, including shooting and tank battles; characters are shot in close-up; discussion of assassinations; images of bloody body parts (one woman's body gruesomely appears briefly, cut into sections); the protagonist is tortured by being hung from the ceiling on hooks attached to his chest (gruesome again); a child suffers a frightening epileptic attack.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Sexual activity/naked body parts in two or three scenes; women perform sensuous dances during celebrations (some are topless); a pregnancy results from an adulterous affair.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Over 20 uses of "f--k," plus other profanity ("hell," etc.).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Frequent drinking and some smoking (cigarettes and cigars).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie is based on the real life of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and includes references to massacres, revenge killings, torture, and abuse. Some scenes depict such violence explicitly, including bloody bodies, shooting, knifing, and grisly torture. There are also some scenes of sexual activity, including a one-night liaison between the protagonist and an unknown woman and the protagonist's dangerous adulterous affair. Women appear in revealing or little clothing (some dancers are topless). Characters use foul language (especially "f--k") in anger. It's the 1970s, so characters also drink liquor and smoke cigarettes as emblems of class comfort. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (4)

Based on 2 parent reviews

A harrowing, uncompromising cinematic experience

Unpleasant waste of time, what's the story.

Newly minted doctor Nicholas (James McAvoy) avoids going into practice with his father by traveling to Uganda, where he imagines he can "make a difference" and have an adventure. When Nicholas is invited to serve as president Idi Amin ( Forest Whitaker )'s personal physician, he imagines that he'll get excitement, access, and a chance to "do good" with the new resources at the hospital in Kampala. But Amin's reign quickly turns violent (he kills anyone he deems an enemy and expels 50,000 Asians from Uganda), and Nicholas watches the action and pretends that Amin isn't responsible. The doctor goes so far as to justify his own errors in judgment: He wants to look after Amin's wife Kay ( Kerry Washington ), currently on the outside because her son is epileptic. As Amin becomes visibly (or more consistently) psychotic and paranoid, Nicholas begins to fear for his own safety.

Is It Any Good?

Harrowing and provocative, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND traces the rise of Idi Amin by taking the perspective of the young Scottish doctor. While the device could seem hackneyed, it's instructive here, for the film never lets viewers forget that the doctor comes to Africa to "play the white man," as Amin puts it, careless and self-indulgent.

As a metaphor, the fictional Nicholas makes clear the insidious means by which the West, and -- in particular -- the Caucasian West, exploits and abuses its privilege in other nations. While The Last King of Scotland makes Nicholas pay dearly and repeatedly for his vanity and willful ignorance, it also encourages your investment in his plight. Still, the fact that Nicholas -- however inadvertently, however much he seems a victim -- is also capable of great horrors (he lets others perform them, then judges them), makes him even more troubling than Amin. He should have known better.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the cycles of violence that afflict developing nations. How are these cycles supported by outsider money and exploitation of resources? Who's to blame for what happens in these cases? Families can also talk about the story of Amin, a former heavyweight boxer and British colonial army sergeant who declared himself president of Uganda following a military coup and ruled for eight years. What effect does having a fictional character tell his story have on the movie and what viewers take away from it?

Movie Details

• In theaters : September 27, 2006
• On DVD or streaming : April 17, 2007
• Cast : Forest Whitaker , James McAvoy , Kerry Washington
• Director : Kevin Macdonald
• Inclusion Information : Black actors, Female actors
• Studio : Fox Searchlight
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 121 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : some strong violence and gruesome images, sexual content and language.
• Last updated : May 13, 2024

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The Last King of Scotland

Giles foden. alfred a. knopf, $25 (336pp) isbn 978-0-375-40360-6.

Reviewed on: 09/28/1998

Genre: Fiction

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The last king of scotland: a review.

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Kevin MacDonald’s ‘The Last King of Scotland’ Can Be Terrifying

Passionately directed, The Last King of Scotland weaves a tragic story of power and seduction and the unfortunate effects they can have on humanity.

Part modern myth and part political biography, Kevin Macdonald’s 2006 film The Last King of Scotland examines the rise and fall of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin through the eyes of his fictional Scottish doctor. Through a kaleidoscopic mix of colorful global pop culture with the brutal depiction of senseless violence in the militaristic government, the dynamics of the monstrous yet charismatic leader’s regime are explored via a perplexed Western perspective that struggles to come to terms with a terrifying reality that it just can’t seem to grasp.

The source material behind the film is the 1998 award-winning novel of the same title by journalist Giles Foden, which is structured as a fictional memoir. This interweaving of fiction and fact is an interesting method of storytelling that works well given the material’s international appeal, as it connects the West and Africa in artistically challenging ways. The screenplay was adapted by Jeremy Brock and acclaimed British playwright Peter Morgan, whose amazing skill with historical dramas contributes to the breadth of the narrative.

After graduating from medical school in 1970 Scotland, Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) decides to take a risk with his life and seek adventure abroad by taking up a position in a Ugandan missionary clinic. Coinciding with Garrigan’s arrival in Uganda is the successful coup d’état by General Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker), which overthrew incumbent President Milton Obote. At this point, Garrigan is a brash young man with an unfortunate penchant for married women, while the charismatic Amin has risen with great support from a Uganda desperate for healthy change.

Their paths cross for the first time when Garrigan treats Amin’s injured hand after a popular rally. Amin admires Garrigan for his honesty and Scottish roots, while Garrigan is impressed by Amin’s friendly demeanor and wide plans for a fair Ugandan government. Amin later invites Garrigan to be his personal physician and modernize the nation’s health care system, which, after some reluctance, he accepts. This begins a tumultuous friendship between the two as Garrigan becomes an apologist for the brutal regime, while Amin’s charisma is contrasted with a paranoid and aggressive persona that is, at times, frightening.

While brutal and maniacal are hardly words one would use to describe actor Forest Whitaker’s typical roles, the filmmakers got lucky because Whitaker dominates in ways few would have imagined. In an Oscar-winning performance, Whitaker balances Amin’s character with big populist posturing on one hand and almost bipolar madness on the other. By immersing himself so deeply into the role, Whitaker has assumed the mindset of a madman with power, and whether in public speeches or private conversations, he manages it wonderfully.

McAvoy, although obviously overshadowed by Whitaker’s performance, plays a convincing Garrigan whose vices and youthful naiveté come back to harm him. Garrigan represents the liberal Westerner who comes to “help” and ends up exploiting. While millions of Ugandans that he was supposed to treat suffer in poverty, Garrigan drives a Mercedes-Benz, attends parties regularly, and dines with the new aristocrats. His demonstrated attraction to married women is what ultimately leads to his critical realization when he finds out that he impregnated one of Amin’s neglected wives. It seems that for Garrigan, this was an imperialist aggression that Amin could not tolerate.

While the politics and pacing of the film move along at a Hollywood speed, it is believable enough so that it doesn’t feel like an overly labored Oliver Stone film. Macdonald rightfully films in Uganda, providing a realism that helps engage you with the story. Interestingly enough, this was the first Western film to be filmed in Uganda since 1990. Also worth noting in the film are supporting performances by Gillian Anderson and Kerry Washington, who contribute to a solid cast of underrated actors with both of their vulnerable roles.

The Blu-ray release of The Last King of Scotland is worth purchasing if only to see the startling imagery in high definition, which helps magnify the culture and visuals of Uganda. The DTS-HD Master Audio is simply amazing, bringing out all the diverse sounds from the score. Bonus features of the disc include seven deleted scenes with commentary by Macdonald, three great featurettes that focus on Forest Whitaker’s commitment to the role, and understanding Idi Amin as a complex person in political history.

The Last King of Scotland is a brilliant historical drama, blending fact and fiction into a narrative that is beautiful and, at times, terrifying. Whitaker’s lauded performance is something to be studied for years because it says something about an actor’s ability when the character name causes you to recall the actor’s face and not the person they were based on. Passionately directed, The Last King of Scotland weaves a tragic story of power and seduction and the unfortunate effects they can have on humanity.

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The Last King of Scotland review – Ugandan history without the drama

Crucible, Sheffield Tobi Bamtefa gives a swaggering, thundering performance as the dictator Idi Amin, but this adaptation of Giles Foden’s novel is stodgy and plodding

S waggering and lumbering, fickle and childish, Tobi Bamtefa thunders between laughter and malice as the former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in this adaptation of Giles Foden’s novel , directed by Gbolahan Obisesan. The president’s greed and gruesome misogyny glisten like beads of sweat under the weight of his charm and bravado. But even this confident lead performance can’t rescue a stodgy, overwritten script and humdrum production in which tensions fizzle, plot holes reign and actions lack consequence.

Daniel Portman plays Nicholas Garrigan, a fresh-faced Scottish doctor thrown into the position of Amin’s personal physician. A chirpy, stuttering romantic, he chooses to see the new president as a beacon of hope for the country. But Garrigan’s intentions are never clear. With Amin’s charm so immediately overshadowed by his brutality in Steve Waters’ altered timeline, we don’t understand why the wilfully ignorant and quickly complicit doctor is so enamoured with the president; he has to turn a blind eye so fast he’s left spinning on the spot for the rest of the show. With his ethics bludgeoned too soon, his cowardice is amplified and our sympathy for him is significantly reduced.

Waters nudges some elements of the story closer to historical fact, making it Garrigan’s colleague Peter Mbalu-Mukasa (played with radiating anxiety by John Omole), rather than Garrigan himself, who falls for Amin’s second wife Kay (an admirably composed Akuc Bol). It is in their desperation for an under-the-table abortion that we really feel the fear of Amin’s regime for the first time. The violent wider context is otherwise laid out in unimaginatively structured international news bulletins. Meanwhile, Garrigan’s love life is reduced to his trying to kiss a British diplomat’s wife on a flaccid fishing trip, a scene so unnecessary you wonder if they were just trying to fill time.

This story of coups, protests and torture hardly lacks drama; it should feel epic. Yet it plods. When the last half hour takes a baffling turn into play fights and school-style narration, the action begins to feel as flimsy as the plastic severed limbs that scatter the stage. The Last King of Scotland boasts solid performances, and it is a show clearly concerned with complicity, but ultimately it fails to get us on side.

At the Crucible theatre, Sheffield , until 19 October.

• Sheffield Theatres

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