Film Critics Think THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND is “Totally Intense”

A handful of reviews have come in for Kevin Macdonald’s film adaptation of Giles Foden’s The Last King of Scotland, and the consensus is that watching the film is a powerful, gut-wrenching experience. But, you know, in a good way.

The New York Times says the movie is “queasily enjoyable” and “furiously paced, with excellent performances.” The LA Times writes, “Kevin Macdonald captures the energy and exuberance of a young nation in the throes of optimism and works it into a foreboding frenzy.” Premiere Magazine adds that The Last King of Scotland is “high-voltage…an intense, sometimes hallucinatory, and often gruesome drama.” The New Yorker demurely steps back and declares the film both “tense and alive.”

It’s gratifying to hear that Kevin Macdonald has successfully translated the intensity of Giles Foden’s novel into film.  It’s even more gratifying to hear The New York Times use the phrase “queasily enjoyable.”  They haven’t felt this way since their first ride on the Cyclone.