The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)

Synopsis: Engineer gets pissed when serial killer lions turn workers into Fancy Feast.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer star in this tense, terrific and true adventure set in 1896 East Africa. There, two lions on a man-eating rampage have shut down the construction of a railway. The beasts hunt together, showing no fear of man or fire. What’s more, they’re killing for sport rather than for food – and they have an almost supernatural knack for knowing what traps await them.”

What Did I Learn?: Giraffes sleep for five minutes a day, and hippos fart out of their mouths, according to Kilmer’s travelogue near the beginning of the film.

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that big, hungry cats are always trouble.

Really?: So wait – there’s a man-eating, and incredibly smart lion on the loose, and the three remaining dudes all want to sleep in separate huts? And then nobody hears the screams after one of them is dragged off and becomes a midnight snack?

Rating: The Ghost And The Darkness is a bit like Jaws on dry land; there’s a monster out there, and several very different men must work together to solve the problem. It’s a good thriller, with plenty of tension and a surprise or two. (There’s also an unintentionally funny scene when Kilmer’s wife is tackled and eaten by one of the lions) 8/10 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116409/