Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Sharad Patel

Writer:

Wade Huie (writer)

Release Date:

May 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Thriller | War

Tagline:

The rage of a maniac... the rape of a people!

Plot:

The chronicle of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and his tyranic rule from 1971 to his overthrow in 1979.

Plot Keywords:

Uganda | Africa | Freezer | Death | Torture

Cast

Joseph Olita	...	Idi Amin
Thomas Baptiste	...	Dr. Michael Oloya
Leonard Trolley	...	Bob Astles
Geoffrey Keen	...	British Ambassador
Louis Mahoney	...	Freedom fighter Ofumbi
André Maranne	...	French Ambassador
Denis Hills	...	Himself
Diane Mercier	...	French Ambassador's Wife
Tony Sibbald	...	Canadian Ambassador Davis
Norbert Okare	...	Kiwanuka
Ka Vundla	...	Malyamungu
Martin Okello	...	Amin Officer
Nicky Giles	...	White Girl
Ann Wanjuga	...	Mrs. Olaya
Gordon Gardner	...	Israeli Ambassador

Also Known As:

Amin: The Rise and Fall (Australia) (USA)

Runtime:

101 min | UK:97 min | USA:91 min

Country:

UK | Kenya

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:R | Norway:18 | USA:R | Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Kenya

Company:

Film Corporation of Kenya

Trivia:

In an episode of Film 2006, broadcast in the UK on 30th October 2006, Jonathan Ross claimed that he had appeared as an extra in this film 1981 movie as an Israeli soldier raiding Entebbe airport.

Quotes:

Malyamungu: [adressing Idi Amin at an army parade] The Life President of the Republic, His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Al Hajji, Field Marshal, Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Das geheime Kino (2007)

Disturbing but engrossing

This movie is disturbing, grisly, and unpleasant - much like the reign of Idi Amin that it depicts. The film is quite graphic in its violence, and while this will make it hard to watch for some it is necessary to tell the true story of Amin. Olita plays Amin to the hilt, portraying him as a pompous killer who has no regard for human life or the fate of Uganda. We follow how Amin angers one foreign power after another, causing most Western powers to abandon Uganda; one memorable scene in the movie shows when the Soviets, Amin's last ally, pack up to leave the country and Amin rushes to the airport to try to stop them. Throughout the film he also murders anyone who opposes him, or even offends him in the slightest way. This movie really lays Amin and his rule bare; you see what a true despot was and Olita portrays his as having absolutely no redeeming qualities. Not easy to watch, but a fascinating story of a bizarre politician.