The Ghost & the Darkness (B or 3/4 stars)
'The Ghost & the Darkness' (directed by Stephen Hopkins) is a tense 1996 adventure thriller set in Kenya in 1898 where the British are building a railroad to support the ivory trade. The practical Col. John Patterson (Val Kilmer) takes the challenge of building a bridge over the Tsavo River. The 3,000+ African, Hindu & Muslim construction workers respect him when he kills - in one shot - a local lion that had mauled a man & a donkey. However, over the next couple of months, 2 new fierce & crafty lions kill some 130 men at the base camp. The African citizens call these lions "devils of the night -- the ghost & the darkness", since they show respect for fire, guns, traps, or fences. Worse yet, they seem to kill - if not out of hunger - for pleasure.
Patterson's attempts to hunt them down prove elusive; the lions' malicious, stalking, retaliatory nature confounds everyone. And so, British railroad magnate, Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) angrily hires legendary big game hunter, Charles Remington (Michael Douglas), to come with a band of Masai warriors to put an end to "ghost" & "darkness"; but even these brave, menacing men are in awe of the 2 lion enemies. When most of the African & Indian workers eventually flee, work on the all-important bridge comes to a halt. Patterson, a man of science, and Remington, a man who has a gift for killing animals, must resort to extreme measures to square-off against the seemingly invincible man-eating adversaries. Thrills & mayhem ensue.
So, while 'The Ghost & the Darkness' is an extremely simplistic thriller {written by William Goldman} with a slight supernatural touch {the lions are like Jaws ... they just keep coming for more gory fun & revenge} ... this film is also just a VERY effectively-realized thriller. Surface level thrills? Oh yeah, you'll be gripping the arm rest of your seat. To that, the thrills are bolstered by award-winning cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond's lush camerawork, as well as Jerry Goldsmith's powerful music score. Bernard Hill & Om Puri impress in supporting turns. And if you dig deep beyond the surface-level of this movie, one can say that there is commentary on the incompetence of 'superior' white imperialists over the wisdom & abilities of the locals.
Whether you jive with the film's premise or not, it can be said that Val Kilmer & Michael Douglas give committed performances. Sure, the narrative calls for them to do little more than figuring out/executing how to vanquish these lions, but the 'acting' of these roles is executed with such intensity & gusto that I can't help but be wowed by them. Douglas, in particular, excels with his devil-may-care Indy Jones/Romancing the Stone vigor. And so, while I acknowledge deficiencies in the script {some hokey dialogue, unbelievable pot points}, I just really dig the lavish, old-fashioned, action/adventure/special effects yarn of it all. There's an incredibly suspenseful moment that occurs at one point involving one of the stalking lions & Patterson's wife (Emily Mortimer) standing at the train station that'll make you peek through your fingers in fear. I saw this movie when I was 16 and loved it. Time has dampened it a touch, but the nostalgia is strong, for me.
Patterson's attempts to hunt them down prove elusive; the lions' malicious, stalking, retaliatory nature confounds everyone. And so, British railroad magnate, Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) angrily hires legendary big game hunter, Charles Remington (Michael Douglas), to come with a band of Masai warriors to put an end to "ghost" & "darkness"; but even these brave, menacing men are in awe of the 2 lion enemies. When most of the African & Indian workers eventually flee, work on the all-important bridge comes to a halt. Patterson, a man of science, and Remington, a man who has a gift for killing animals, must resort to extreme measures to square-off against the seemingly invincible man-eating adversaries. Thrills & mayhem ensue.
So, while 'The Ghost & the Darkness' is an extremely simplistic thriller {written by William Goldman} with a slight supernatural touch {the lions are like Jaws ... they just keep coming for more gory fun & revenge} ... this film is also just a VERY effectively-realized thriller. Surface level thrills? Oh yeah, you'll be gripping the arm rest of your seat. To that, the thrills are bolstered by award-winning cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond's lush camerawork, as well as Jerry Goldsmith's powerful music score. Bernard Hill & Om Puri impress in supporting turns. And if you dig deep beyond the surface-level of this movie, one can say that there is commentary on the incompetence of 'superior' white imperialists over the wisdom & abilities of the locals.
Whether you jive with the film's premise or not, it can be said that Val Kilmer & Michael Douglas give committed performances. Sure, the narrative calls for them to do little more than figuring out/executing how to vanquish these lions, but the 'acting' of these roles is executed with such intensity & gusto that I can't help but be wowed by them. Douglas, in particular, excels with his devil-may-care Indy Jones/Romancing the Stone vigor. And so, while I acknowledge deficiencies in the script {some hokey dialogue, unbelievable pot points}, I just really dig the lavish, old-fashioned, action/adventure/special effects yarn of it all. There's an incredibly suspenseful moment that occurs at one point involving one of the stalking lions & Patterson's wife (Emily Mortimer) standing at the train station that'll make you peek through your fingers in fear. I saw this movie when I was 16 and loved it. Time has dampened it a touch, but the nostalgia is strong, for me.