Witness to the 'King' of terror

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Sometimes the most momentous decisions are made for us by chance.

Take Nicholas Garrigan, the protagonist in director Kevin Macdonald's "The Last King of Scotland," opening nationwide today.

It's 1970 and Garrigan, a new medical school graduate, is facing a quiet,comfortable life much like that of his father -- the elder Dr. Garrigan -- in his native Scotland. That thought, however, seems stifling, so the young physician takes out his globe and gives it a spin. "First place you land, you go," he tells himself with his finger pointed and his eyes closed.

When his finger lands on Canada, he thinks for a moment then spins again. This time, it lands on Uganda, and off he goes -- arriving not only at a crucial time in the country's history but becoming part of it as well.

Nicholas Garrigan is a fictional construct. But the movie -- and the Giles Foden novel on which it is based -- is inspired by real people and events. Garrigan, played by rising young Scottish actor James McAvoy ("The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"), is an idealist of the worst sort -- the naive kind. He's a medical missionary in an African nation that became independent from British rule less than a decade before.

Shortly after Garrigan's arrival, Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) seizes power in a coup d'etat. Initially, Garrigan is concerned about the impact but soon joins in the celebration for the new ruler. "Don't worry, these are General Amin's men," one Ugandan tells him. "He fights for the people. This is a happy day for us."

Sarah Merrit ("The X-Files'" Gillian Anderson), a married doctor Garrigan gets close to, is more the realist, but she can't convince Garrigan that politicians are all the same. Amin's magnetic personality works its magic on the Scot as much as it does on the Ugandans. The general and the young doctor meet in an alternately frightening and funny exchange, and Garrigan becomes the president's personal physician. He doesn't just witness some of Amin's infamous crimes -- which reportedly included the slaughter of more than 300,000 of his countrymen and accounts of cannibalism -- he becomes an unwitting partner to them.

As Amin (often referred to as the "Butcher of Uganda"), Mr. Whitaker's performance is a tour de force. He's guaranteed an Oscar nomination for his portrayal and, at this point, must be considered the front-runner for the Best Actor win. It would have been easy to play Amin as pure evil, but Mr. Whitaker's rendering is more nuanced than that. Idi Amin -- despite a reputation for cruelty that began when he was in the British army-- did have the support of his people at the start of his eight-year reign as Uganda's president.

"I am you," Amin, the son of a single mother, tells his people.

We are as mesmerized by him as Garrigan.