Rise and Fall of Idi Amin
Rise and Fall of Idi Amin
R | 19 March 1982 (USA)
Rise and Fall of Idi Amin Trailers

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

Reviews
videorama-759-859391

Many years before seeing Forest, we had this actor, Olita, very good, although at times, when playing this notorious beast of an evil African dictator, his words seem stilted, as though, he isn't quite sure his lines are hundred percent down. Regardless of that, he generates a truly scary portrayal of this monster, responsible for the deaths, via execution style, of over 500 000 people, including some paul pry reporters, sticking their noses in too deep. He even humps an underage girl, first telling his boy, discreetly to get out of the car. Olita truly gets the character, and this no holds barred film doesn't hold back on it's brutality, with it's shocking scenes of violence, some of Bit, real in your face stuff. Amin (aka: big daddy), also kept some of his trophies in the same place, Patrick Bateman did. My probs with the film, although I really did enjoy it (another addictive 80's pleasure) was it's rush of story from the get go, where rather what comes off, is a sleazy 80's cheese version, where instead a lot of shock scenes and some sleazy ones have been put in. Not that they don't have merit, or aren't visibly affecting. Good movies, in my opinion, just don't form, from being applied this way or taking this attitude. All that aside, it is still a compelling and recommended watch, especially if you like sleaze and violence.

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chow913

The mere fact that there are enough exploitation films based on Idi Amin to merit their own genre in a video store, Idi Aminxploitation is truly disturbing.I don't just mean films about Idi Amin, I mean outright exploitations films which use the Ugandan dictator to include as much sex and violence as possible.This one's unique by taking the bold move casting real Africans actors to play Africans rather than American Mulattos with fake accents. The authentic African accents are a double edged sword. While it does make us feel like this really is Africa but their accents are so strong it can be difficult to understand what they're saying. And now that I think of it they shouldn't even be speaking English at all! Oh well, still better than those American Mulattos.Idi Amin is right up there with Caligula as not being too important to history itself but extremely memorably simply for his insanity and debauchery.There's never a dull moment in this film. It's fast paced and Amin's insanity provides non stop entertainment.The only major problem is that if you don't actually know the history of Idi Amin you'll be lost. The film doesn't actually explain the context for many scenes. For example, the Israeli hostages and the raid at Entebbe are never explained.The ending is also a major let down. It just ends out of nowhere! There's no climax, no resolution, it's just ends by saying the film is devoted to Amin's victims. Yeah right! They made an exploitation film to honor the dead? It's certainly worth a watch and stands out as far better than any of the other Idi Aminxploitation films.

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gormanster

I watched this film a while ago now, and to me it plays more like an 80's action film than a genuine historical account of what went on during Amin's reign in Uganda. It's the way the film was paced, that leads a viewer to this impression. The film focuses only on Amin's reign in Uganda and not his early life, or how he came to be one of the worst dictators in history.However, I will say this, Joseph Olita, the actor who is playing Amin is very, very believable as the dictator. He steals every scene he is in, because of his remarkable physical resemblance to Amin. The scene where he orders the group of school children to observe the aftermath of the execution of one of his wives is a prime example of the genuine air of menace than Olita manages to convey.The film also captures much of the madness that was Amin. Whether he is awarding his young son Uganda's highest military Honor's, or consulting a witch doctor to determine who is plotting against him and then ordering the massacre of several tribes based on such advice is hard to fathom happening in the real world; but of course all available evidence said it did.So in summary, I guess this film is best enjoyed as an account of some of the horrors that took place in Uganda during Amin's reign. It doesn't provide any real insight in Amin, but that's not necessary a bad thing. Any insights into why Amin did what he did must be inferred because of the craziness of this man, and this film does a fairly good job of capturing some of that craziness.

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gonzofilms

I saw this movie when I was 17. Now I am 34 and through the wonder of the internet, I have finally obtained a video copy. This movie is a movie that leaves a lasting impression, of just what a madman Amin really was. Olita does a memorable, if not comparable role to Amin. It shows what happens when a war monger takes command of a tiny 3rd world country. You better like this film or else...."this is what happens to bad mommies!!""THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!"

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