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Movies / On DVD / The Ghost and the Darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness

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The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:23

Rotten:21

Average Rating:5.5/10

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Based on a true story, THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS takes place in Africa during the late 1890s and concerns two ferocious lions who killed 130 railroad construction workers in only two months. A... Based on a true story, THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS takes place in Africa during the late 1890s and concerns two ferocious lions who killed 130 railroad construction workers in only two months. A pair of courageous men, no-nonsense engineer John Patterson (Val Kilmer) and rugged hunter Charles Remington (Michael Douglas), set out to shoot the creatures, known as the Ghost and the Darkness. Making their task even harder is the two animals un-lionlike behavior--they kill in tandem, attack in the daylight, and show no fear of anything. Soon the hunters become the hunted.... [More]

Starring: Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas, John Kani, Om Puri

Starring: Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas, John Kani, Om Puri, Tom Wilkinson, Bernard Hill, Brian McCardie, Emily Mortimer, Henry Cele

Director: Stephen Hopkins

Director: Stephen Hopkins
Screenwriter: William Goldman
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd, A. Kitman Ho, Paul B. Radin

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Ghost and the Darkness

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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atmospheric but uneven thriller

comment Comment
11/08/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

This should have been Jaws meets Alien meets Out Of Africa. But instead ends up being a far more tepid version of all three.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Neil Jeffries
Neil Jeffries
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A familiar tale, well told.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
08/19/03
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

The real feature of this Stephen Hopkins-directed, William Goldman-scripted yarn are the gross and gory attacks, which explode at well-timed thrill intervals throughout.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson
Jam! Movies

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

comment Comment
10/06/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

Excellent thriller. Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer are outstanding.

comment Comment
01/24/03
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

Provides us with an unforgettable primal encounter with the mysterious other.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/28/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

What Jaws did for sharks, The Ghost and the Darkness may do for lions.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

An exciting man vs. nature adventure that falls short of terrifying because William Goldman's script is too reminiscent of Jaws.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
07/11/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
05/06/06
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Rousing entertainment.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

A compelling experience because it is true and because it is photographed with such panoramic intensity.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
06/26/02
Louis B. Hobson
Louis B. Hobson
Jam! Movies

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A great film!

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/01/00
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

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

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
09/10/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

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

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/12/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Enjoyable and entertaining in a passive sort of way. Kilmer's performance makes the film.

comment Comment
01/09/03
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
03/16/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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