The performance of Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin is at the center of The Last King of Scotland. He is not the lead character, but his presence is so strong it occupies our minds even when he is not in the scene. It’s this performance that gives the movie it’s meaning, it’s emotional resonance, it’s tension. Whitaker does truly great work here, giving us a lively portrayal of a terrible man that can also be terribly charming.

The problem is, this performance is pretty much the only good thing about the movie. The rest of the characters and the plot are uninspired. And the movie fails utterly at depicting the pain and destruction that Amin brought to Uganda. The scenes with Amin work and keep us interested. But when he is off the screen the movie quickly falters, failing to make good use of the lingering presence. Soon we in the audience are longing to be once again with that fascinating monster.

Is one great performance enough to make a movie worth seeing? The answer will be different for every person. For me, it was. I don’t regret at all going to see this movie, and I will thinking about Whitaker’s work for a long time. But you might feel different, so be warned.