The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
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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 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 that the tracks may cross a large river, and engineer John Henry Patterson (Val Kilmer) is summoned to the African nation to supervise construction. While Beaumont has placed Patterson under a strict deadline, the bridge designer is certain that with his guidance, the local laborers will be able to complete the job in time. However, when several workers are killed in an attack by a lion, Patterson is forced to deal with the animal; while he bags a lion who invades the work site one evening, it soon becomes obvious that there's more than one predator in the nearby jungle. The lion attacks continue, eventually claiming the lives of 130 men, and Patterson and Beaumont finally agree to call in Charles Remmington (Michael Douglas), an expert hunter who understands the nature of the man-eaters and knows how to lure them into his trap. The Ghost and the Darkness is based on a true story, which was previously brought to the screen in 1953, in Arch Oboler's pioneering 3-D adventure Bwana Devil. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Stephen Hopkins
- Written By
- William Goldman
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Horror
- In Theaters
- Oct 11, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The picture is too lightweight, too posturing and too self-important to go in an introspective direction.
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Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Ranges in quality from adolescent boys' adventure stories to Heart of Darkness.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
When the movie sticks to fact, the result is a hypnotic spectacle.
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Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily
A scenery-chewing Michael Douglas is the highlight of this passable landlocked variation of Jaws.
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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.
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)
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Cast
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Michael Douglas
as Charles Remington
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Val Kilmer
as Col. John Henry Patterson
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Tom Wilkinson
as John Beaumont
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John Kani
as Samuel
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Om Puri
as Abdullah
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Bernard Hill
as Dr. Hawthorne
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Brian McCardie
as Angus Starling
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Henry Cele
as Mahina
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Emily Mortimer
as Helena Patterson

