Movies-TV

the best suspenfull movie I ever saw in my life!!!!

val kilmer was the great in that movie and really took the part and it also realy kept you on the edje of your seat I highly recamend it ( not for younger childeren very violent)

Big Game Safari or how we used to hunt for Lions

".. once we had a farm .." is the beginning of another great movie about africa. Everyone who liked the scenery there is going to love the beautifull pictures out of the african-"bush". This compared with a lot of hunting scenes makes it a good and very entertaining movie. The story is easy to tell, back at the time of english-east-africa the british railway company wants to built the railway through the wilderness but two lions -such called the ghost and the darkness - come by allmost every day and night to eat the workers. They are triing to hunt them if .. I won't tell.

Negative: The movie is rated "R" here but in Europe it can be seen by every child at the Age of twelfe, which equals to "PG" - there isn't more blood, hunting or action than at the news every night.

Based on a true story!!!!!!

Despite obvious flaws in the film's historical accuracy, the film overall depicts what happened in 1895 in Africa as two lions for whatever reason went on a killing spree, Val Kilmer stars as a railroad construction engineer who is hired to build a railraod in Africa thus beating the competiton, he is hired by Tom Wilkinson(Rush Hour) who is the boss you would just love to hate, as Kilmer begins his job, his hired help begins to die by being attacked by the lions, Kilmer begins a manhunt & thus the bridge's construction halted, as Wilkinson grows more impatient with Kilmer's delay, he then sends a professional hunter in the form of Michael Douglas in a somewhat unconventional role, Douglas does not appear until the second hour, this film really belongs to Kilmer as he & Douglas become the hunted, it is clear that the lions are playing with them, & that even Douglas is puzzed at their behavoir, when they think there is one, they discover that there are two, they even bait a trap for them that has little or no effect, the lions stalk Kilmer as if they are saving him for last, won't spoil the ending for those who have not seen it, except to say that the ending is intense as man battles the beast, this is a very gripping movie, the lions are now on display in a museum in Chicago, & they are frightning to look at, you almost sense that they are looking at you, which makes this film all the more scarier!!! Highy Recommended!!!

Based on a true story it unfortunately pales compared to the original

I've had the pleasure many years ago of reading the original story which was called "The Maneaters of Kuhoman" (please excuse the spelling as I don't have the book in front of me.) The real story is so much more exciting and fast-paced that it seems strange the movie wasn't able to reproduce that excitement. While the story was exciting in parts I found it tended to draw out too much between interesting scenes. If anyone out there really has the patience to read a good book the original story will blow you away compared to this watered-down version.

The Ghoast and the Darkness

The Ghoast and the Darkness was released in 1996,it has a running time of one hundred and ten minutes. The director of this flim is Steephen Hopkins, and was released by Paramount Pictures. The Main characters in this film are Michael Douglas who is very believable in his role as a big game hunter who is the very best in the world. Val Kilmer is equaly believable in his role as the best construction engineere who must rid the camp of the killer lions to complete the rail road that is behind schueld.The setting for this picture is East Aferica in the late eighteen hundreds in a rail road construction camp where many men have already died from visious animal attacks. What makes this film even more remarkable is that it is based on a true story, with a wounderfuly suspensful Film created around it. This film tells a story of two men who must face evil in the form of two lions who seem to have supernatural abilites, Kilmer must kill the lions before they can kill again. This film is filled with twist and turns that are heart stopping as well as nail biting suspense if it is a good scare you enjoy then you will love the Ghoast and the Darkness. The lions that you are toald about in this film are to this day on display at the Smithsonain natural histories Museum in Chicago Ill.

Jaws of Africa!

This is an underrated classic though I am happy to see here on the amazon that it is rated rather high by this netshops' reviewers. Well earned stars!

You've probably already heard the essential of the story, but let me just add that this movie is perhaps the best Beast-above-water-movies ever made (compared of course to Jaws, Brotherhood of the Wolf and similar movies about beasts out of animals that do exist, unlike Kong and Godzilla and the dinosaurs of Jurrasic Park -yes, well, you get my meaning...).


More than once during The Ghost and The Darkness you'll hold your breath, and sit paralyzed to your chair, because it is so impressive filmed, edited and (of course) directed and acted. Kilmer and Douglas are a great theme! And the movie has quite a lot remembarable scenes, and the story (though perhaps not as true as it claims to be..?) is solid, and well worth making a movie of.

And the film-makers here did well!

The lions look real!

Beautiful cinematography, it will scare even the toughest

An ultimate DVD experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pure, griping, throttling, adrenaline rush excitement

A great thriller movie about one's character and how it builds through and ordeal. Ohh did I mention the story of two lions who kill dozens of labors who are trying to build a bridge over one of africa's major rivers. The engineer ( Kilmer) who is faced with a difficult task of killing the two lions or face termination and total embarassment and having his carreer ruined by his extremely high profile boss. The labors soon all leave waiting for the Kilmer to kill the lions so they can return or have Kilmer be killed. Kilmer is joined by a hired gun/professional hunter Remington ( Douglas ) who try to kill the lions, then the movie takes off and doesn't stop till the opening credits. Kilmer and Douglas are excellant, rent this one immediately.

Good To Watch

Colonel J.H. Patterson, in late 1898, goes to British East Africa to build a bridge across the Tsavo river. Everything goes well until two man eating lions appear on the scene and attack the men, mostly Africans and Indians, drag their bodies out of the camps despite being surrounded by thorn fences and wires, and kill them. In order for more such killings to be stopped and to make sure that men are safe, Patterons requests for troops to be brought i in. But this is denied and he has no option but to take action himself.Based on the book by J.H. Pattereon, entitled, "Man Eaters of Tsavo," the movie stars Val Kilmer as J.H. Patterson and Michael Douglas as Charles Remington. There are some errors in this movie. The movie depicts that possible three lions were attacking the camp at Tsavo at the time. This is not quite true as there were only two, which were killed by Patterson himself. And there's no such character as "Charles Remington" and it seems like that this was only created for the purpose of the film. There were something like 30,000 Indians brought in by the colonial authorities from the Indian subcontinent but we are shown only a few - in some cases hardly. Thirdly, there's only once scene of the river but the name of the river is never mentioned once in the movie. Lastly, the Masai shown jumping and drinking blood from a cow, it is a tradition which is well shown. However, the jumping of them is not really quite up to it as they are able to jump much higher then shown.Filmed in South Africa and not in Kenya, which was British East Africa, the movie depicts the building of the bridge across the Tsavo river and of the Uganda railway from the coastal town of Mombasa, in Kenya, right through to Uganda. The movie also stars Bollywood actor, who has worked in English movie before, "East Is East," Om Puri. It also shows Kilmer in a more serious and in an adventure type role.For these who are interested in African adventures, this is one movie that should not be missed at anytime.

Exciting, Beautiful but Above All - Cool

Two male lions kill lots of people. Sounds cool, and it bloody well is. The Ghost and the Darkness is, on all accounts, a thrilling experience to sit through. It's far from being a perfect film, and yet it's a film that's somehow impossible to hate, or even dislike. There's lots of animal attack galore to be found here, yet it never quite overrides the overall visual appeal of it all.

In 1898, Irish Colonel John Patterson is sent to the river Tsavo, Africa, to construct a railroad bridge - forcing him to leave his pregnant wife behind in London. Upon arriving in Africa, Patterson learns of a rampant lion on the loose. He quickly manages to kill it, raising the morale of the workers. This, however, proves to be entirely deceptive. Soon after, two male lions start to prey on the workers - chillingly, they appear to kill for sport rather than food. All efforts to stop them are in vain until hunter Charles Remington arrives to help Patterson rid Tsavo, and the workers, of this threat. But the lions (called the Ghost and the Darkness by the workers) are smart, and disposing of them won't be easy even with Remington in league.

This premise is based on a real-life account by John Patterson, and it was practically destined for a movie adaptation. While it is quite true that the movie differentiates on Patterson's account in many ways (Remington is entirely fictional), it's all for the benefit of this film. The actual lions were maneless, yet for the sake of the movie's aesthetics, the fully-maned lions (Bongo and Caesar) strike a more impressive image. The easiness with which the lions kill is also a tad exaggerated, but then, again, the film is all the more suspenseful for it. A big plus is that the cinematography of this movie is fantastic. One of the scenes in particular - where we first truly see one of the lions kill and eat a worker before our very eyes - is fabulously staged and filmed. In fact, it's one of those movie moments that have edged themselves permanently into my memory - the most artistic, even beautiful piece of animal gore filmmaking you could find (nothing too queasy). The movie deservedly won an Oscar for Best Sound Editing (the lions's growls, roars and chomps send shivers down my spine for one), and the African-flavoured score by Jerry Goldsmith is wonderful.

The characters leave a lot to be desired, though. Val Kilmer is utterly unconvincing as John Patterson, and this doesn't just reach to his lack of even attempting to adopt an Irish accent. Remington is more interesting, but it's a shame he doesn't have more screen time. There are also moments when the staging reveals itself to be flawed, in particular the hospital attack scene. The cutting disrupts the continuity and flow of the scene rather than supports it - sometimes you can even plainly see that those are animatronic lions. Mostly, however, it's real lions in all their glory.

This movie isn't for everyone. Despite the savageness, the lions and their attacks are almost sophisticated to behold, and it's perhaps this that's the most thrilling aspect of the film. There are no special features to be found on this DVD, but then this movie is interesting enough as it is (though I do wish they would have at least included the cut scene where Patterson gets up close to one of the lions - a scene which Michael Douglas admits was one of the best scenes). Besides, not every piece of filmmaking has to be Lawrence of Arabia, so to speak. Some movies are at their best just being 'cool', as well as believable. The Ghost and the Darkness is, on all accounts, a 'cool' film - and there's nothing wrong with that. This is the best enactment of lion attacks you could find in a movie, and I myself have never seen more aesthetic filmwork on lions. Could be more concrete, but definitely worth a view, for beauty as well as excitement.

Abysmal

I was amazed when I learned that William Goldman had written the screenplay for The Ghost and the Darkness, because it was a pointless movie where nearly every scene lacked even a minimum of intelligence. Val Kilmer goes to Africa to supervise building a bridge. His work camp is tormented by man-eating and apparently supernatural lions, which seem to be invulnerable to bullets and manage to eat hundreds of men. The rest of the movie tries to be a thriller like Jaws, with a supermonster terrorizing the locals, and this idea seems promising, but in the end they're apparently just two lions after all. Oh. There are three great supporting actors, and while they're each wonderful, they're all wasted. The great Indian actor Om Puri manages to imbue some really dumb lines with enough spirit so that they make sense. Brian McCardi is delightful as a missionary, but unfortunately he's killed off after only a few lines. And the tribal chief, who is the most noble character in the whole show, is given some truly awful lines and seems to be the only one aware of what a travesty the film is. I hate to trash a movie because I can usually find something of value in anything. But at the end of this one I was just annoyed at the waste of talent and resources. No theme, nothing to make you think, not even anything to admire in the filmmaking. Just infuriatingly bad dialogue and plot events that make you shake your head in disbelief at their stupidity. Oh well.

This is one movie that could have been a great one.

Based on the true life adventure of Lt. Patterson in his book "The Man-eaters of Tsavo" the "Ghost and the Darkness" followed the book relatively closely, but failed to capture the power of the story. Kilmer seems illcast in the role and lacks the depth his character could have embodied. The director, Hopkins, seemed more concerned with how good Kilmer came across on camera rather than the grit of the situation he faced. Douglas was completely unnecessary and flat, even crusty, and a character with few qualities that endeared him to the viewer. I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when he finally met his demise in the jaws of one of the lions. The scene where Kilmer outruns the last of the brutes across the bridge was almost too much to stomach. No can do with a healthy lion at that range. This could have been a story with the clout of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," or "Braveheart," but generally blew it in good story telling, coming across more like the half-witted attempt to do "Lord of the Rings" back in the late '70s.

One of Val E. Kilmers best performences a jour!!

"Ghost and The Darkness" is probably the most exciting and most heart-gripping movie I've ever seen!! Val E. Kilmer makes the movie come alive in a way that's varifying his outstanding talent in acting. Allthough Michael Douglas is a very good actor too Val Kilmer succesfully shows what making movies is all about! He is showing his incredible work to the viewers from all 'round the world, so that we can get an insight in how he translates the stories behind the movies. Not to come as a surprise, I'm a real Val kilmer "freek"! I've seen a lot of his movies - and Ghost and The Darkness is definitely one of his best outcome. That the movie builds on a true story makes it even more gripping. The scenes in the dark, chasing the lions; waiting for the lion, are so thrilling and "hairrising"- (as we say in Denmark) All in all a very good movie that really deserves the best critisism. Thank you - Henriette Jensen, Denmark

The Ghost And The Darkness

This is an incredible movie,I really enjoy true stories whether they are romantic, action, drama etc. If it is a true story, thats what makes it more meaningful to watch. ( to me)
I strongly suggest this movie to anyone who loves true stories.
Brilliant!

Rather excellent, but a tad Hollywoodized...

I've seen this movie twice now and my capsule summary would be that it's an excellent piece of work, beautifully filmed, with a great and atmospheric score, and well acted by all involved. Still, it could have been better. I know that someone pretty much inevitably says that about any film, but in this case it's the basic story that could have been better and -- even though the screenplay was based on true incidents -- my contention is that the proceedings could have been improved through LESS
dramatization.My saying that the story could have been better feels just a tad sacrilegious -- after all, the great William Goldman wrote the screenplay. Yea, the man is a veritable god among screenwriters, being the force behind several of the best films ever made (including the magnificent "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"), and he knows how to tell a compelling story, usually while keeping the progress of that story tight and focused. "Ghost and the Darkness" is no exception, and is well-written, but in this case the actual events were arguably more compelling than the Hollywood version and would quite probably have made for a much better movie with only minor adjustments necessary to smooth the narrative.**Possible 'spoilers' follow**For one thing, there was no Remington. Inclusion of Michael Douglas' character implies a rather liberal interpretation of just how closely this film is based on a true story (especially given John Kani's ominous voiceover attesting that the film's events are all true). Yes, I think that Mr Douglas is a great actor and creative talent and probably quite a dude, but the Remington character was a somewhat jarring intrusion and even moreso when you know that there was no such man in reality. The Remington role is more or less superfluous to the film, even, given that it's Patterson (a heroic name, of course) who really does all of the hero work when you come down to it. I believe that the film would have been even more powerful had it been more completely along the lines of a vendetta between Patterson and the Simbas-from-Heck -- as it stands, there's an element of that but Remington kind of muddles the dynamic and makes for a far less streamlined progression of the story. In other words, Remington's character was an unnecessary intrusion that detracted from the story's pacing, diluted the powerful Patterson-vs-demon-lion plot, and irrevocably distanced the story from being true to real events.On the other hand, Michael Douglas did a good job (though his American hero role seemed particularly jarring and perhaps even anachronistic in the context of the film's progression before hi arrival) and the dynamic between he and Kilmer was good, as was the fictionalized ending. Still, it's a pity that Kilmer wasn't left to carry the film, as in reality, with his quieter and more introspective character providing a sort of everyman-who-does- what-he-has-to-do quality to the film. I think that this approach would have been much more dramatic and effective, but I guess that someone felt it necessary to insert Michael Douglas' larger- than-life American to cater to the next-to-lowest common denominator.Other historical inaccuracies were fairly minor, relegated largely to telescoping of characters and time-shifting of actual events (e.g., the discovery of the lions' cave), though one of the most obvious was that the actual killer lions of Tsavo were maneless males, the maneless condition for some reason being endemic to many lions of that part of Kenya. No big deal, really, especially given that the maned lion is far more fearsome-looking on screen. Also, as far as I can tell, there's no mention in the film (or in pre-credits end text) of the lions having killed somewhere between about 130 and 140-plus railway workers, a pretty staggering figure that's basically instant shock value in itself (though a later maneater in India, the Champawat Tigress, was claimed to have killed 436 people before being shot by a famous hunter...now THERE is your Michael Douglas character).I rate the film highly as it is but it's a pity that the most excellent William Goldman didn't remain more true to reality. Then again, the same's true to an even greater extent of his take on the Butch and Sundance story, but that didn't stop that film from being one of the very best ever made. (I love cats, by the way, but this film might make you look at your kitty in a slightly different way for a while...perhaps best not to let him or her watch it with you)

On the edge of my seat

Have seen this flick several times. Never fails to quicken my pulse. The music is extraordinary and the scenery magnificent. The acting is first rate.

Hollywood Arrogance

Dear oh dear , Hollywood decides to make a movie where everything is moving along nicely . Stephen Hopkins direction is good though hardly in the same class as David Lean , William Goldman has written a fairly good script though noit his best even if it does contain the line " God invented alcohol so the Irish wouldn`t rule the world " , we see a couple of British character actors like Tom Wilkinson and Bernard Hill lending weight to the proceedings and the audience are even shocked by Val Kilmar doing a passable Irish accent But then Hollywood decides this isn`t good enough for an international ( Read American ) audience and insert a completely made up character called Charles Remmington to save the natives from man eating lions . What`s worse Remmington is played by Michael Douglas who has more or less stepped out of the set from ROMANCING THE STONE where he played an American adventurer , and it`s impossible to believe Remmington is anything less than an OTT American adventurer inserted to appeal an American audience who couldn`t relate to non American characters . Oh by the way this is actually based on a true story which is what makes this tinkering of history so offensive . It`s like watching a remake of ZULU where the 7th calvary turn up to rescue the red coats

Great movie

This is a good movie.This is a great movie.I really liked this movie.If you can tell.It has great actors and a great story.I love how the say that only the most incredible things about this movie are true.I have this movie and tell all of you adventure fans to go see it.

Thrilling! And Based on a True Story.

My sister and brother-in-law told me about this movie and I bought it without even seeing it. When I finally got around to watching it, I saw immediately why they loved it so much. The superb acting of Douglas and Kilmer (and the African dude who saved Kilmer's life), and an excellent storyline make this one of the best movies ever made.

You won't regret buying this movie, as it is something that you can watch over and over without getting bored. One day I will go to the museum in Illinois where the real lions are on display.

Bad Kitties! Leave those workers alone!

I just happened to be in Chicago the other day and I had promised myself that the next time I was there, I was going to the Field Museum to see those lions. The museum is located down by the lake shore near Soldier Field where the Bears play. Let me just tell you that these were some BIG cats! It's plain to see why they caused so much carnage. I didn't think lions grew that big. Any human without a heck of a big gun wouldn't stand a chance against them. One thing you notice right away about them is the fact that neither one of them has a well-developed mane. Each lion has a few tufts of hair where the manes would normally be, but that's it. It is thought that lions in this particular part of Africa lacked manes to better cope with all of those thorn bushes. Anyway, I'm sure the makers of The Ghost and the Darkness wanted their lions to look like traditional ones, and thus, they had full manes. If you get a chance to see the lions, please do!Anyway, about the film. It is pretty darn good. It plays out like a scary bed time story with visuals. We are reminded time and time again how tough of a place Africa is as the cast has to deal with heat, disease, thorn bushes, and of course the lions. Kilmer outshines Douglas by far. Douglas is a colorful character, but his accent fades in and out. Tom Wilkinson is deliciously evil as Kilmer's boss from back in London. Good supporting work from Om Puri, John Kani, and Henry Cele (Shaka Zulu). There are plenty of tense moments as the entire cast figures out how to get rid of these unwanted cats and get their bridge built before other nations of Europe beat the British to the game. There are some truly gory lion attacks throughout the film. The cinematography is excellent, and the direction superb. The script can be a little corny at times, though.By all means, see this film. It will excite and frighten you. Then, if you get the chance, go and see the lions in Chicago. It will be a lot better use of your time than watching a Bears game this season!8 of 10 starsSo sayeth the Hound.