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best movie i've ever seen.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I didn't realize this was based on a true story (even though part of the opening narration hints at it), until I came to the review board here on IMDb. Apparently the film takes some liberties with the actual historical facts (don't they all?), but for the most part, the main story of two man-eating lions killing for pleasure in the Tsavo region of Kenya is fairly accurate. Depending on one's sources, those infamous man-eaters claimed the lives of anywhere between twenty eight and a hundred thirty five victims over a ten month reign of terror, which came to an end when Colonel John Henry Patterson killed both within a span of twenty days in December of 1898.There was something very oddly familiar in the movie to me, and I don't know how to explain it or what to chalk it up to. I keep a dream journal, and quite a few months ago, I had one in which a friend of mine and I were attacked by a tiger, and we sought refuge in a large wooden structure, pushing back against the large cat using a gate similar to what was shown in the movie. That scene in the movie is going to stay with me a while just because of the circumstances of that dream. I'd call it a nightmare except nothing terrible really happened, it just ended quite undramatically with the tiger running away. The other thing I thought about during that scene was how the old 'shooting fish in a barrel' concept didn't really work too well with those three hapless outlaws hired to kill the lion. Seriously, how could they miss as many times as they did?I'll tell you though, the scene that was really scary was the one showing the first victim Mahina (Henry Cele) being dragged out of camp by one of the man-eaters. Can you imagine what something like that would feel like, knowing that your end is coming soon and you can't do anything about it? That would be enough to cause one to die of fright. I would rank that scene right up there with some of the best horror flicks one could ever come across. It sends a chill even as I discuss it here.Regarding the rest of the movie, I don't know, it did seem to get bogged down in the latter half when Charles Remington (Michael Douglas) joined the hunt, and a lot of the filming had them lying in wait for something to happen with the Tsavo lions. One thought that occurred to me was the possibility that Dr. Hawthorne (Bernard Hill) might have sabotaged Patterson (Val Kilmer) by exchanging rifles with him, but nothing ever came of it, even though the weapon misfired or had no bullets. The only thing that came out of that scenario was Remington berating Patterson for giving up a weapon he was familiar with.

The Ghost and The DarknessThe only time it's acceptable to kill a lion is if it's dressed like a cow, chicken or pig.Mind you, the most consumed animal in this action movie is man.Sent to Kenya by his boss (Tom Wilkinson) to expedite work on his railroad, military engineer Col. John Henry Patterson (Val Kilmer) is advised by the project supervisors (Brian McCardie, John Kani) that two man-eating lions have been holding up progress.When he fails to slay the stealthy predators, Patterson's boss hires an experienced hunter (Michael Douglas) to eliminate the threat for good.But even the famed huntsman can't kill the cunning cats, and he soon finds himself on their dinner menu.Based on Patterson's book, this adaptation of his harrowing account is as frightening as it is fascinating, with the lions serving as truly menacing antagonists.But to fair, big game hunters should have to dress as injured gazelle.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Exciting movie – well acted and brilliantly directed. The attention to detail going into this production is amazing. It seems modern day monsters have to be ridiculously strong; impossible to kill and horribly frightening. I guess a rule of thumb now-a-days would be, 'The scarier the CGI-ghoul, the bigger the shock value and bigger profits.' Nothing like that was used here - just a marriage of talent and skill. I have to say that this flick ended up being a nail-biting-tingle. Brilliant filming, directing and acting transformed two relatively timid lions into some scary hairy beasts (I - uh - guess they were already that.) In order to get a rise out of the audience when the two monster kitties made their approach, everything had to work perfectly. Well in this movie – everything did work flawlessly and the scare factor was outstanding. Without a doubt, Stephen Hopkins is a very talented director and skilled visionary. Of course it did not hurt having two terrifically talented stars such as…Val 'I'll Be Your Huckleberry' Kilmer and Michael Douglas. These two guys were really spot-on. The whole movie is a sight of beauty as well. I highly recommend anyone to watch. It does not have the flash and pace of the movies cranked out now-a-days, but it is still a pretty good ride. Even though the story is loosely based on actual occurrences…the idea is there…and pretty harrowing.

Set in 1898, this movie is based on the true story of two lions in Africa that killed thirty-five people over a nine month period, while a bridge engineer (Val Kilmer) and an experienced old hunter (Michael Douglas) tried to kill them.I only recently (2015) became aware of the story of the two lions, who I believe are now housed at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. I had no idea this film was about them, which is not surprising given that I did not know they existed. I recall the picture coming out in 1996 and not having much interest. Maybe I should have.We have some really good performances (Kilmer in his prime, and Michael Douglas who is always good). But more so, a very rich color palette for the cinematography. Impressive, and it looks wonderful, far above and beyond the typical 1990s movie.