While I do think, from a story standpoint, it's a shame that Garrigan wasn't limited to being a mere witness to the events of the Amin era, as he was
portrayed more in the book, instead of a constant catalyst for Amin's rage, considering he is a fictional
character, we'll just chalk up his constant missteps as
dramatic license taken by the screenwriters in drawing out Amin to commit some of the most heinous acts of torture shown in film this side of a Mel Gibson directorial effort.