This movie is one of my favorite classic movies, and I had forgotten about it, until my son and I were talking about tigers and lions, and I mentioned 'maneaters'. He wanted to know what a maneater is, so I explained it to him. In the case of lions, they are usually lone male lions that have been cast out of the pride, because another male has beaten him in a fight. There's only one adult male in a pride. These lions that have been cast out, can be extremely dangerous, obviously, because they have to fend for themselves, and don't have the pride to back them up. When I was telling him this, I remembered this movie, so we decided to watch it.
This review contains some spoilers, mainly because it's based on a true story
Image screen shotted from IMDB
The Ghost and the Darkness
The movie is based on a true story, and it's about two adult male lions who have teamed up and terrorized workers in and around Tsavo, in 1898. source
As if one isn't bad enough!
The movie has been fictionalized, of course, as is custom for Hollywood, and it's based on the book "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo" by Lieutenant Colonel Patterson, who was overseeing the construction of a railway bridge over the Tsavo River in Kenya.
Ironically enough, the name 'Tsavo' means slaughter in Kikamba. But from what I've read, it refers to the slaughter of 100+ Masai in the area.
The story is terrifying, especially since it's based on true events. The lions killed at least 35 people, but probably many more, and it seemed to be a sport for them, rather than necessity.
This is shown in the movie as well.
The movie included the character of Remington, a big game hunter, but apparently, in the real story, there was no such person. Several actors had been considered for the role of Remington, including Sean Connery, but in the end, co-producer Michael Douglas decided to play him instead.
The character makes for some extra drama, but in my opinion, they could have left him out altogether. Not that I don't appreciate Michael Douglas, but it seemed a little forced, and now I know why. Because he wasn't supposed to be there at all.
The movie also includes Masai warriors. In the beginning, these are played by South African actors, but during one scene, they are real Masai warriors.
The Ghost and the Darkness was filmed in South Africa, rather than in Kenya, but it doesn't make the scenes any less impressive.
The scenes of the nature and animals are truly beautiful, and small parts of the movie even show some humor. Nevertheless, it's a serious story, and therefore it was a serious movie.
Some scenes are a little bloody, but not in a horror movie kind of way.
This was the third time I've seen this movie, and I still loved it. My son did as well, but only till about half-way, which was when he fell asleep haha.
The Movie's Audience
If you can appreciate a good movie with a good story and beautiful scenery, then this movie is for you. My son is 10 years old, and personally, I think it's old enough for this movie.
But you should preview it first before you decide what's right for your children, of course.
I wouldn't go any younger though!
Conclusion
I think the movie is worth a watch. The story behind it, is probably also worth getting into more. I haven't read Patterson's book, but now I am thinking about reading it. The actors who play the locals, were doing a great job, especially the actor who played Samuel. Val Kilmer didn't disappoint, but he's never really disappointed me with any of his movies. Michael Douglas was OK, but they could have easily omitted his role to be honest. Either way, the movie is definitely a good one to watch on a rainy day, which was the case yesterday. It's not Oscar-worthy, but it's worthy. If you've seen it, let me know what you think of it!
As an affiliate with ledger, I receive a percentage of the sales generated through this link
Damn I don't know if I've ever seen that one but it rings a bell. I feel like I've seen it plenty of times walking through blockbuster as a kid lol
Haha, yeah, I'm sure we've all seen the cover at least, as kids walking through blockbuster and similar. Well, if you haven't seen it, it's worth a watch. It's not one of the best movies I've ever seen but it's definitely one that stuck with me, mainly for the story.