| Plot: "Set in 1898, this is a true story of two lions in Africa that killed 130 people over a nine month period, while a bridge engineer (Val Kilmer) and an experienced old hunter (Michael Douglas) tried to kill them." *** "Lions don't do this. Lions... never had a lair like this. They're doing it for the pleasure." Stephen Hopkins' The Ghost & The Darkness is one of my favorite thrillers made in the 90's. Scripted by talented scribe William Goldman, the man who also wrote such modern classics as Misery and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, this is based on a true story, but does undergo some "Hollywood"-ization, most notably the inclusion of Charles Remington (Douglas), but, unlike many films based on true stories, the changes serve the film, rather than harm it. This is a rare thriller that manages to never loose it's extreme intensity. Michael Douglas stars as Remington, and he's great. His performance reminds me of Indiana Jones, after a few months in extreme heat, and a slightly longer gap between the current date and his date of birth, or, in other words, older. Val Kilmer is equally superb as John Patterson. Kilmer underplays it like a pro, but certainly does turn in an interesting and likable character. If you're a gore hound, look no further than this bad-ass baby. The lion attacks are hard "R"-material, with torn out necks, skulls and bones, and enough blood to clean the Empire State Building from top to bottom. Some of my favorite sequences in this film are not action sequences, but scenes of dialouge, where the hunter and the engineer tell stories of their past, including childhood experiences. The sense of comradery in those sequences is great. Hopkins, the director, also manages to sustain a feeling of dread for the films 109 minute running time, with one of the scariest sequences in the film being a mere nightmare. Overall, this is a great film, with a good plot, great acting, and superb directing. It's entertainment at it's best, and a wonderful film about brutality and bravery. 8/10 |