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![DVD - The Ghost and the Darkness - [Bilingual] - Michael Douglas - Nice - Picture 1 of 1](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/d-kAAOxy~dNQ9zz7/s-l500.jpg)
This is a very good movie. The characters are engaging and the action is good. The movie also is based on a true story; dramatized, of course. The Col. Patterson is based on the real man, while the "Remington" character is a combination of British and American big game hunters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Col. Patterson really killed the man eating lions himself with little or no help from anyone. I think "Remington"; played by Michael Douglas, is just to add to the drama, plus Douglas was the producer. I would definitely give this movie a " big thumbs up'.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great historical drama, but the casting was all off. This is a part of British-African Colonial History. Why were two American actors starring in it or if they really were professional actors, why couldn't they have taken on British accents? Even good actors like Douglas and Kilmer can never fit in to a period movie without adapting to the culture. Also, the casting director erred in not switching the two to match their actual personalities, i.e., Kilmer should have been the crazy lion tamer. Some of the other minor characters (the wife) had the wrong accents also and not up to cinematic standards (just TV soap opera types). The limited budget was obvious because the same set was used for most ot the film.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A few years ago I used to watch this film over and over as a teen. A few years later I found it here, and decided to pick it up again. I still love it! This film is based on the true events surrounding a pair of lions that disrupted the construction of a bridge in Africa in 1898. This film declares that "the most impossible parts of this story really happened". Let me be the first to say that this is only partially true--based on the memoirs of John Henry Patterson, the bridge-builder hired to construct this bridge in Tsavo (played by Val Kilmer in this film), there were numerous events of the infamous man-eaters seeming to have supernatural senses. They killed dozens of workers in Tsavo and had a knack for evading death. However Charles Remington (Michael Douglas' character) is entirely fictional, and quite a few of the "real" events are extremely exaggerated. Even so, this is an enjoyable film. It has a fun atmosphere, likeable characters, and won an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. This is a quick paced film in a good way--it's not so slow that you get bored, yet not so fast you can't follow what's going on. Everyone gives a very nice performance, though I wouldn't call it one of Kilmer's best. He was given a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor in this film, but I don't believe this is entirely fair. The problem stems from Douglas' character Remington; who swoops into the film and pretty much takes over it during the last half, which pushes Kilmer in the background. While Remington's character is fun and well-written it undermines Patterson's a bit, and this wasn't a terrific choice when in real life Patterson dealt with the problem more or less on his own. I would say that's the biggest problem of the film besides the Hollywood exaggeration of events, and a few obvious technical/continuity gaffs near the end. I recommend this film to anyone looking for a quick-paced adventure with beautiful scenery, a fairly simple premise and fun characters.Read full review
While working for a railroad baron played by Tom Wilkinson (Valkyrie, Duplicity, etc) in colonial Uganda, British army engineer John Patterson played by Val Kilmer (The Saint, Spartan, The Red Planet,etc) finds his construction efforts stymied by a series of lion attacks. After more than 100 workers die, grizzled hunter Charles Remington (played by Michael Douglas- Wall Street, Traffic, Romancing the Stone, etc) is called in to head the increasingly desperate effort to kill the animals. This is definitely a man versus beast movie- as the lions continue to attack even as Remington hunts them. The movie is based on a true story based on Pattersons book The Man-Eaters of Tsavo published in 1907. The movie won an Acadamy Award for best sound editing and director Stephen Hopkins has had hits in many types of movies- Lost in Space 1998 edition, Blown Away, Predator 2, etc- and does a masterful job here. A GREAT movie that Action and Adventure movie enjoyees will certainly like. Also, there is a great deal of suspense in the movie and people that like movies about animals and how they act will also find entertaining-even if these animals are eating people. This is NOT a childs movie-this is blood and guts action and suspense and done in a top notch way. GREAT movie that will most people will enjoy and it will give them a good nights entertainment.Read full review
In 1836, two extraordinary lions went on a man-eating rampage that claimed over 130 lives. Nothing like this had happened before and it hasn't happened since. These two seemingly invincible beasts brought Britain's plans for an East African railway to a dead halt and literally stopped the greatest colonial empire on earth from one of its grandest engineering feats, absolutely cold. A bridge-building engineer, John Patterson, aided by an acclaimed wild game hunter, Remington, set out to find and kill these demons that the African's called "shaitaini" or "Devils of the Night." These two unbelievably cunning lions, "The Ghost" and "The Darkness," set their sights on the two men who were hunting them. Some movies make little impression when they are based on a true story but this one certainly leaves a lasting imprint. Watch this movie and see for yourself.Read full review
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