The Ghost and the Darkness

The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)

  • 50% of critics liked it
    (46 reviews)

  • 70% of users liked it
    (51,912 ratings)

A man bringing modern transportation to the ancient jungles of Africa discovers one of man's oldest enemies lays in wait for him in this period adventure drama. John Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) is the owner of a British railroad firm who is building a rail line through Uganda. A bridge is needed so… More

Play Trailer

R,
Directed By
Written By
William Goldman
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Horror
In Theaters
Oct 11, 1996 Wide
Paramount Home Video

Critic Reviews

  • Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

    The picture is too lightweight, too posturing and too self-important to go in an introspective direction.

  • Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

    Ranges in quality from adolescent boys' adventure stories to Heart of Darkness.

  • Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

    When the movie sticks to fact, the result is a hypnotic spectacle.

  • Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

    A scenery-chewing Michael Douglas is the highlight of this passable landlocked variation of Jaws.

  • Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

    Effectively wipes out the lion's cuddly image from The Lion King and reinstates its rep as the fearsome king of the jungle.

Read all 10 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Tim S


    I have to say I really enjoy The Ghost and the Darkness, but not because it's a fantastic film. It's actually a bad film with good elements to it, but there are things about it that fascinate me. First of all, it's directed by Stephen Hopkins, whose film output has been… More

  • Jens S


    This African hunting adventure seems to come right out of the era of great Hollywood films with similar themes. It is old-fashioned in the good sense. Two men, their guns and two lions, that terrorize a bridge-building camp in Uganda. That simply premise is delivered well here, with… More

  • Sanjay R


    This movie is unintentionally hilarious with its cheesy lines and horrible acting. Michael Douglas turns in a hilariously bad performance while Val Kilmer is tolerable. The only thing that makes this movie interesting is that it is true (with Hollywood exaggerations of course).

  • Ken S


    A fun little film with every one doing excellent work EXCEPT Michael Douglas who is in fact terrible. Matter of fact the only thing worse than his performance is his really bad extensions

  • familiar s


    I thought it'll be something interesting, something thrilling. However, it turned out to be a hunting adventure which interests me the least.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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