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Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas star in this true story adaptation about two man-eating lions who killed dozens of railroad workers in Tsavo, Kenya, in the late 1800s. Kilmer plays a bridge engineer who enlists Douglas, a world-famous big game hunter, to help him hunt the brazen predators after they slaughter more than 30 men, sometimes in broad daylight. The task proves monumental, bringing the railroad to a complete halt and resulting in the deaths of many leading and supporting characters before the lions, dubbed the ‘Ghost’ and the ‘Darkness’ by the local Africans, are finally brought down.
Kilmer and Douglas have unquestionable charisma and star-power, even though Kilmer feels a tad uncomfortable in the role and Douglas plays things a bit over the top at times. The script by screenwriting master William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride) captures shades of Jaws‘ wonderful male camaraderie and moves at a good pace, sprinkled with several moments of dread and terror, and a very creepy scene in which the lead actors discover the lions’ lair littered with piles of human skeletons. While it may not fully deliver on its dramatic or character potential, The Ghost and the Darkness is a very entertaining tale of adventure with plenty of escapist appeal. John Kani is memorable as the third lead, Kilmer and Douglas’ primary African liaison who also narrates the story. Tom Wilkinson, Brian McCardie, Bernard Hill, and Om Puri make the most of smaller, supporting roles. The African locations, lush cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Deer Hunter), terrific music by maestro Jerry Goldsmith, and Oscar-winning sound give the film considerable luster.
Directed by Stephen Hopkins (A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Predator 2).
Side Note: These infamous lions’ bodies are stuffed and on display, still today, at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.
Academy Award: Best Sound Effects Editing (Bruce Stambler)