To Walk with Lions (1999)

This is a great film, but it is badly let down by poor directing and a very stilted performance by John Michie. Richard Harris plays George Adamson to absolute perfection and Ian Bannen is equally marvellous as his brother Terence, but John Michie is just too suave to be convincing. Its also distractingly jerky in parts almost as if the director couldn't decide if this was to be a film about George Adamson or about Tony Fitzjohn or a film that explored their relationship. Perhaps he had hoped it would do all three, but instead it just highlights the difference between a great actor at the height of his powers and someone who looks good in shorts, wastes the talents of Honor Blackman and gets a PG-13 certificate when it could have had equally as much impact and a greater potential audience as a G with very little effort.

This movie is based on a true story. Base on life of George Adamson. It is apparently a sequel to the movie Born free. Although I am too young to know about that movie.I can say this movie is good. Suspense, action, love story. With a majestic view of Africa as backdrop. It took place at a time of political turmoil and chaos. As George struggle to keep his Lions reservation open he also have to deal with poachers. In the process gaining him some powerful enemy.

Director Carl Schultz has made an extraordinary film with the help of some vastly talented and brave actors who overcame their fears to work with lions in Africa."To Walk With Lions" was featured in the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival and presented by the director, some actors and producers of the film, all of whom should be very proud of a triumphant and majestic film. The landscapes are magnificent and breathtaking, and prove to be an intriguing backdrop to an even more intriguing man who became something of a legend in our time.Thirty years ago, "Born Free" told the story of the Adamsons from its inception. This film carries on their story it until its tragic end in the late eighties. It mostly concerns the wildlife preserve "Kora", run by George Adamson, played incredibly by the wonderful and distinguished Richard Harris. The troubles in Africa continue even still as the corrupt Kenyan government and poachers prevail in the slaughter of the African wildlife, threatening extinction without much concern for the consequences. The story is told through the eyes of Tony Fitzjohn, as played by John Michie. Fitzjohn continues the Adamson crusade to preserve wildlife and rehabilitate lions from captivity back into the wild even today. The film was followed by an interesting Q&A where it was revealed that the majority of scenes with lions were real, which is astonishing considering the close proximity to the actors in many of the sequences. It would come as no surprise to me if this film was nominated for Oscars. If not, it would only be a testament to the high quality of the other nominees. When your opportunity presents itself, do not pass this one up.

Richard Harris gives a brilliant performance as George Adamson, the leader of an African Lion Preserve. Battling poachers and the threat of losing his land, Adamson maintains his mystical relationship with his Lions in his efforts to retrain these orphans to survive in the wild. There is no doubt that Harris is the much older Adamson, the teacher and student of these magnificent animals.The acting is great. The storyline follows all too familiar relationships between the men and women and are quite predictable. Despite that I highly recommend this film.