In 1898, British Army engineer Lt. Colonel John Henry Patterson (Val Kilmer) is dispatched to Kenya by a British railway company to oversee the construction of a key bridge over the Tsavo River. The project is part of Britain’s effort to expand its colonial infrastructure. Patterson, confident and idealistic, expects to finish the work quickly and earn prestige. At home, his wife is pregnant, giving him added motivation to succeed.
Not long after his arrival, Patterson is welcomed by the local workers and his British colleagues, but his plans are soon derailed. A series of gruesome killings begins — workers are found dead at night, savagely mauled. Panic spreads as it becomes clear the killers are not ordinary animals, but two lions that seem to be hunting for sport, not food. Locals believe the beasts are supernatural, calling them “The Ghost and the Darkness.”
Patterson tries various tactics to trap and kill the lions — building thorn fences (bomas), hunting them at night, and setting elaborate traps — but nothing works. The attacks escalate. The lions grow bolder, even entering tents and dragging victims out in plain view. Construction halts as hundreds of laborers flee in terror.
Faced with failure and mounting pressure from British officials, Patterson receives unexpected help: Charles Remington (Michael Douglas), a rugged American big-game hunter hired by the railway company. Remington is experienced, wild, and has a fierce survival instinct. He and Patterson form an uneasy alliance, combining Patterson’s discipline with Remington’s intuition.
Together, they track the lions deep into the African bush. A brutal and suspenseful hunt unfolds, as the men face not only the lions but also the psychological toll of fear, failure, and death. Remington is eventually killed in a nighttime ambush by one of the lions, raising the stakes even higher.
In the climactic sequence, Patterson, now hardened and more determined than ever, finally manages to kill both lions through sheer patience, courage, and calculated risk.
Epilogue:
The film closes with the completion of the Tsavo bridge, and the surviving lion pelts being sent to the British Museum. Text on screen confirms the historical accuracy — the real lions were responsible for dozens of deaths (some accounts claim over 100), and their stuffed bodies are still on display at the Field Museum in Chicago.
