don't think it needs repeating what a fine job forrest whitaker did in this film, but there are other kudos to consider: 1. the cinematography, for one, was excellent! itz so refreshing to see a film shot on location these daze, and gee! doesn't it add flavor and authenticity?! the use of natural light, even the sunsets, proved evocative; hope this sends a message to other filmakers how much going the extra mile when it comes to location really counts! 2. so glad the soundtrack was not overbearing! gawd, i wish directors would take note on how much excessive soundtracks can take away from a film's content. a recent example would be NOTES ON A SCANDAL, starring cate blanchette and judy dench, where strong english accents combined with an excessively loud and emeshing soundtrack made hearing and understanding dialouge next to impossible! don't they think we can follow a screenplay well enuff to experience suspense without being hit over the head by a deafening angst-driven orchestra? going back almost a decade, ANY GIVEN SUNDAY - in my mind an extremely underrated movie directed by oliver stone - could have benefitted as well from a toned-down soundtrack during important moments in the dialouge. on the field, the soundtrack was well-chosen and served to enhance the action, while at other times it was over-blown and unnecessary, making dialouge extremely hard to hear. well, didn't mean to go off on a tangent here, especially since THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND suffered from none of those problems. one last comment concerning actress kerry washington: beautiful and talented, and where the heck have i been not to have noticed her before?
don't think it needs repeating what a fine job forrest whitaker did in this film, but there are other kudos to consider: 1. the cinematography, for one, was excellent! itz so refreshing to see a film shot on location these daze, and gee! doesn't it add flavor and authenticity?! the use of natural light, even the sunsets, proved evocative; hope this sends a message to other filmakers how much going the extra mile when it comes to location really counts! 2. so glad the soundtrack was not overbearing! gawd, i wish directors would take note on how much excessive soundtracks can take away from a film's content. a recent example would be NOTES ON A SCANDAL, starring cate blanchette and judy dench, where strong english accents combined with an excessively loud and emeshing soundtrack made hearing and understanding dialouge next to impossible! don't they think we can follow a screenplay well enuff to experience suspense without being hit over the head by a deafening angst-driven orchestra? going back almost a decade, ANY GIVEN SUNDAY - in my mind an extremely underrated movie directed by oliver stone - could have benefitted as well from a toned-down soundtrack during important moments in the dialouge. on the field, the soundtrack was well-chosen and served to enhance the action, while at other times it was over-blown and unnecessary, making dialouge extremely hard to hear. well, didn't mean to go off on a tangent here, especially since THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND suffered from none of those problems. one last comment concerning actress kerry washington: beautiful and talented, and where the heck have i been not to have noticed her before?