EAST AFRICA, 1896. TWO LIONS ON A MAN-EATING RAMPAGE HAVE SHUT DOWN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RAILWAY. BIG-GAME HUNTER REMINGTON AND CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER PATTERSON SET OUT TO STOP THESE UNSTOPPABLE MONSTERS. BUT IN THIS ASTONISHING TALE OF MAN VS. BEAST, THE HUNTERS BECOME THE HUNTED.Val Kilmer stars as Lt. Col. John Patterson, a 19th-century Irish engineer drafted by Britain’s railroad bosses to build a trestle bridge over an African river, thus expanding the empire a tiny bit more. In Tsavo, Patterson is instantly hailed for killing a man-eating lion that had been making life hell for native workers. But morale sinks when a pair of unstoppable big cats devour more men and destroy the project. Along comes an Ahab-like, expatriate American hunter (Michael Douglas) to help Patterson face the almost preternatural powers of the two killers. The script by William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) is based on fact, though the film owes more to Spielberg (specifically to Jaws) than history. There are also suggestive echoes of Kipling and Conrad in the material and characters, and there are hints of emotional complexity and psychological nuance that make one wish this could have been a great film instead of a merely fun one. –Tom Keogh
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March 14, 2008
#1
This movie is just sad. Is this what humanity is coming to? killing Man-eating lions? If this movie does something it promoted cruelty to animals. Save yourself some time and don’t watch it.
March 14, 2008
#2
Even though I love The Incredible Mr. Limpet, I think this one is my favorite movie starring Don Knotts.
Amazon made a mistake though. It’s not called The Ghost And The Darkness. It’s called The Ghost And Mr. Chicken.
March 14, 2008
#3
It’s the late 1800s, and a British company is building a railroad bridge in Africa. There are, of course, personality conflicts, ethnic complications, a deadline, and some lovely sunsets. On top of all that, two man-eating lions rumored to have supernatural powers — or at least a very bad attitude — consume dozens of workers, leading to an employee walkout. It’s time to call in the Great White Hunter!
March 15, 2008
#4
as long as nobody tries to overlay this adventure tale with philosophical metaphors and such, im cool with this movie. sadly, it lends itself to that sorta tretment. i dont usually like val kilmer but he manages not to emote here, and though i think michael douglas is miscast as the great white hunter, he manages to turn in a professional job. suspenseful & exciting.
March 15, 2008
#5
This African adventure based on a real account pumps the adrenalin in true Hollywood style – and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Val Kilmer plays engineer John Patterson, who has always been able to overcome all obstacles through sheer will and hard work, until, that is, he gets sent to Africa to build a bridge. In Africa, the country of his dreams, John’s work is sabotaged not by man but by beast. Two man-eating lions are mauling and dragging off workers not only in their sleep but eventually in broad daylight, completely against the nature of their species. They kill not for food but for “sport.” Charles Remington (Michael Douglas), an experienced hunter, is called in to help restore calm by killing the lions.
This might have been an exciting story if the filmmakers had not chosen to ratchet up the terror by making these lions seem supernaturally invincible. The lions are imbued with so much (supposedly scary) intelligence that they trick Remington and Patterson more than once so they can make their kills. They become evil instead of unpredictable. As the film progresses, everything gets even more unbelievably hokey as the actors strap on their machismo. Still, the scenes with the lions are chair-grabbing tense; it’s only after the scenes have ended that the viewer is likely to see how ridiculous it all is.
The best part of this film comes before the lions appear, when Patterson is suffering from the pride we know he’ll lose, and as the camera pans over the African savannah. But most viewers aren’t watching this film for its character development and cinematography. If only the suspense had not been artificially heightened, this could have been a solid thriller.
This is a decent escapist movie with not much to offer on second viewing. I’d make this a rental instead of a purchase.