The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)

A bridge engineer and an experienced old hunter begin a hunt for two lions after they start attacking local construction workers.

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Writer:

William Goldman

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Charles Remington
Val Kilmer	...	Col. John Henry Patterson
Tom Wilkinson	...	Robert Beaumont
John Kani	...	Samuel
Bernard Hill	...	Dr. David Hawthorne
Brian McCardie	...	Angus Starling
Emily Mortimer	...	Helena Patterson
Om Puri	...	Abdullah
Henry Cele	...	Mahina
Kurt Egelhof	...	Indian Victim
Satchu Annamalai	...	Worker #1
Teddy Reddy	...	Worker #2
Raheem Khan	...	Worker #3 (as Rakeem Khan)
Jack Devnarain	...	Nervous Sikh Orderly
Glen Gabela	...	Orderly #1

Storyline

Sir Robert Beaumont is behind schedule on a railroad in Africa. Enlisting noted engineer John Henry Patterson to right the ship, Beaumont expects results. Everything seems great until the crew discovers the mutilated corpse of the project's foreman, seemingly killed by a lion. After several more attacks, Patterson calls in famed hunter Charles Remington, who has finally met his match in the bloodthirsty lions.

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Plot Keywords:

lion | railway | africa | 1890s | lion attack | 

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Taglines:

Only the most incredible parts are true.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and gore involving animal attacks

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English Hindi

Release Date:

11 October 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Geist und die Dunkelheit

Filming Locations:

Songimvelo Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,215,063, 13 October 1996, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$38,619,405

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Constellation Entertainment,Douglas/Reuther Productions,Bernina Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the first worker is dragged from his bed by one of the lions, others can be heard shouting "Simba! Simba!" While Disney fans will naturally think of Matthew Broderick's character in The Lion King, "simba" is the Swahili word for "lion".

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Goofs

In one scene, Remington tells Patterson that "We have an expression in prize fighting: 'Everyone has a plan until they've been hit.' Well my friend, you've just been hit." The events of this film take place in or closely around 1898, however the prizefighting expression used by Remington was coined by World War 2 era boxing great Joe Louis, who was not even born until 1914.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Samuel: This is the most famous and true African adventure.

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Crazy Credits

The beginning of the end credits is shown with a photograph of the real bridge as background.

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Connections

Featured in No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos (2008)

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Soundtracks

Hamara Haath (Our Hands Unite)
Written and Produced by George Acogny
Performed by The Worldbeaters with The Johannesburg Choir, featuring Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

User Reviews

The Ghost and the Darkness

I have heard some people say that this movie is a remake of Jaws. The only way this movie even comes close to Jaws is that it is an animal that is killing people. Other than that this movie is in no relation to Jaws. The story it's self is amazing, and true! I read the book written by James Patterson on his adventures in Africa. And except for Remington killing the first lion, and the lions having manes, the movie is very close to what really happened. I find this movie one of the most exciting and memorable movies I have ever seen. I first watched when I was about 10 years old, and I never forgot a second of it. In conclusion, I see this movie as Val Kilmer's best work and one of the best thriller movies ever. It is my favorite movie.