The Ghost and the Darkness

A brilliant atmosphere achieved through smart cinematography and captivating native music. The lions here are not animals, but mystical demons, and it works splendidly. There is fear in the moving tall grass, as well as in every chase that the charismatic Val Kilmer undertakes. The acting is very solid, and technically flawless. The scenes with the lions are perfectly shot. How they achieved such authenticity is truly hard to comprehend, and it deserves praise. A little bit of moralizing never hurts, and the confident hunter Michael Douglas brings both a healthy dose of insight and charisma in a supporting role. One of the best adventure films that doesn't pretend to be an over-the-top blockbuster, although it could easily be one with no major difficulties. (01.10.2006)

When you decide to shoot an arrow in the middle of the beautiful and wild African countryside, it can easily turn into an awful mess. It matters little that veteran Goldsmith's haunting score provides the backdrop, that the bloodthirsty lions you're aiming at strike fear into onlookers at the slightest flicker in the tall grass, or that the unfortunates you're using as bait are the likeable Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas at the height of their powers, if you don't hit exactly the spot that ensures quality and a visually and emotionally unforgettable hunt instead of quantity and an uninteresting ending, you'd get mauled by critics plus environmentalists instead of lions. But marksman Hopkins hit so accurately that after the fifth thrilling viewing I can safely talk about the best pure-blooded, uncluttered, atmospheric and commercially unspoiled adventure film ever made in Hollywood. A thrilling adventure into the wilderness, the power of friendship and the scent of revenge, for which 76% is a punishingly low number. A little movie love of mine. 100% (24.04.2011)