Nothing special here, you might as well move along. You might want to know that this movie is, for the most part, based off of true events (except for a few characters who were used to build on the plot). In 1898, workers of the Uganda railway at the Tsavo River in Kenya were continually harassed by two maneless lions (that, in this movie, were named the Ghost and the Darkness, although that was not true for reality), and about 140 were eaten. The conflict was finally settled by the British East Africa Company's engineer, Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson (Val Kilmer), who hunted and killed the man-eaters. This is a depiction of his story, which takes place over approximately nine months. It is a little more dramatized than the real events that occured, especially with the help of a fictional, erratic hunter named (Charles Remington). Also, Patterson finds himself pressed for time as the workers threaten to quit and an executive of the British East Africa Company named Robert Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) shows thoughts of replacing Patterson. The only way for Patterson to avoid all of this is to kill the lions; negotiation isn't an option, as the loyal native Samuel (John Kani) and unloyal worker Abdullah (Om Puri) prove. As you will see, outwitting the lions is going to be a different task; they work together and never corner themselves. I will have to complain that although the lions were supposed to be smart in real life, this film gives them human-like intellect, which was crossing the non-fiction line for me. However, I enjoyed the role of Dr. David Hawthorne (Bernard Hill), a hesitant doctor who only wants what's best for his patients. Now, this movie is very graphic and gory (lions are messy eaters!). I guess this movie is okay for a few thrills and a fun way to learn some history (whether or not it's all accurate). Just to tell you, these two lions (not the ones in the movie; the real deal) can be seen on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois; I've actually seen them! Finally, if you feel like seeing this so-so movie, rent it.
