What Jaws did for sharks, The Ghost and the Darkness may do for lions.
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:44
Fresh:23
Rotten:21
Average Rating:5.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Based on a true story, THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS takes place in Africa during the late 1890s and concerns two ferocious lions who killed 130 railroad construction workers in only two months. A... Based on a true story, THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS takes place in Africa during the late 1890s and concerns two ferocious lions who killed 130 railroad construction workers in only two months. A pair of courageous men, no-nonsense engineer John Patterson (Val Kilmer) and rugged hunter Charles Remington (Michael Douglas), set out to shoot the creatures, known as the Ghost and the Darkness. Making their task even harder is the two animals un-lionlike behavior--they kill in tandem, attack in the daylight, and show no fear of anything. Soon the hunters become the hunted.... [More]
Starring: Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas, John Kani, Om Puri
Starring: Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas, John Kani, Om Puri, Tom Wilkinson, Bernard Hill, Brian McCardie, Emily Mortimer, Henry Cele
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Screenwriter: William Goldman
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd, A. Kitman Ho, Paul B. Radin
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Ghost and the Darkness
A partially thrilling adventure tale that needed to go through the rewrite machine at least one more time.
For all its noble intent, Hopkins' film falls flat halfway through, mired in bad philosophizing and too-beautiful killing fields, neither bark nor bite mean much here.
This should have been Jaws meets Alien meets Out Of Africa. But instead ends up being a far more tepid version of all three.
The Ghost and the Darkness isn't bad as a matinee distraction, but goodness knows it isn't good, either.
It lacks even the usual charm of being so bad it's funny. It's just bad.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Ghost and the Darkness at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Ghost and the Darkness at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


