The Ghost and the Darkness (DVD, 1998)

While working for a railroad baron played by Tom Wilkinson (Valkyrie,
Duplicity, etc) in colonial Uganda, British army engineer John
Patterson played by Val Kilmer (The Saint, Spartan, The Red Planet,etc)
finds his construction efforts stymied by a series of lion attacks.
After more than 100 workers die, grizzled hunter Charles Remington
(played by Michael Douglas- Wall Street, Traffic, Romancing the Stone,
etc) is called in to head the increasingly desperate effort to kill
the animals. This is definitely a man versus beast movie- as the
lions continue to attack even as Remington hunts them. The movie
is based on a true story based on Pattersons book The Man-Eaters of
Tsavo published in 1907. The movie won an Acadamy Award for best
sound editing and director Stephen Hopkins has had hits in many types
of movies- Lost in Space 1998 edition, Blown Away, Predator 2, etc-
and does a masterful job here. A GREAT movie that Action and Adventure
movie enjoyees will certainly like. Also, there is a great deal of
suspense in the movie and people that like movies about animals and
how they act will also find entertaining-even if these animals are
eating people. This is NOT a childs movie-this is blood and guts
action and suspense and done in a top notch way. GREAT movie that
will most people will enjoy and it will give them a good nights
entertainment.

The lions eat tonight..Based off a true story Val Kilmer plays a designer sent to build a bridge in Africa, unfortunately for him and his workers there are three lions feeding off the workers, after one worker nearly dies in an attack Val sets off with his trusty gun and bags his trophy is it over not hardly what they killed was indeed a lion, but a femaile lion unknown to them there are two more man eaters out there and they want revenge for the murder of their she lion..as worker after worker dies another hunter is sent for and in walks Michael Douglas a big game hunter who slowly and methodically teaches Vals character about his prey..though as good as they are the two remaining lions nicknamed Ghost and Darkness by the frightened natives are much smarter..can they be defeated check out this film and see for yourself..here kitty kitty! I give this film 5 out of 5 bars.,

This is one of Val Kilmer's best films to date! This movie is based on a TRUE STORY beginning in March 1898 when the British started building a railway bridge over the Tsavo River in East Africa. Over the next nine months, two adult male lions killed and ate nearly 140 railway workers. This is a highly entertaining film & the acting is out of this world. CHECK IT OUT!!

hard to believe this movie is based off of a true story.
Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas are a fantastic pair in this movie.
Val Kilmer plays an engineer sent to Africa to build a bridge. He then encounters man eating lions in the work camp that he is working in. He needs to kill these Lions before they scare off all of the workers.
This movie is excellent. I'm afraid my review doesn't do it justice. It is a definite must see!

As a teacher of both history and geography at the high school level I have learned that offering students documentary films as a teaching tool has very little impact on students today. The students are the first to admit this. The film "The Ghost and the Darkness" was an effective teaching tool on a number of levels. This true story captivated my audience while teaching them about British colonialism and the arrogance of the British during this period. It also showed them the tensions between the Hindu and Muslim workers brought in as laborers to build the railroad across Kenya. Geographically, the film depicted the hardships created by the landscape and the brutal conditions created by the climate. There are few highschool children who have not seen more brutal violence on TV or in movies than they witnessed in this movie. Some of the more squimish ones did have turn their heads during a few brief moments.