In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro

Wuchak

May 16, 2026 · via TMDB

★ 5.0

**_John Rhys-Davies and Timothy Bottoms vs. deadly baboons in Kenya_** This combines the fierce baboons of “Sands of the Kalahari” with the basic setting of “Hatari!” The authentic locations are a highlight as is the use of actual baboons in the attack scenes rather than CGI, which didn’t exist yet in movie technology. “Labyrinth” would be the first film to do that, which came out a year or so later. The addition of Michele Carey is another point of interest. She was one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood in the late 60s/early 70s. This was her final film and, although she’s a dozen years past her physical prime, she's still attractive with her signature sweet voice. (I should add that she's mistakenly cited as having a bit part in the 1988 South African slasher "The Stay Awake," which was played by someone else with the same name). My issue with the flick is the same one I had with “The Ghost in the Darkness.” The African locations are great and there’s a sense of adventure in the shadow of Kilimanjaro (groan), but there’s not enough human interest to make me care about the characters and their challenging situation, although there’s a little bit. In short, the script needed another run through the typewriter to flesh out interesting elements, like what was done with the aforementioned “Sands of the Kalahari.” There was a drought in Kenya in 1984, which led to minor increases in animal-human conflict for scarce water and food, but the movie’s claim that 90,000 baboons mounted a grand attack is fictitious. Timothy Bottoms happens to be Sam Bottoms’ older brother by four years. It runs about 1h 35m and was shot in early 1984 in southern Kenya with Namanga Lodge being a base for the crew. Mount Kilimanjaro is just south of there, across the border of Tanzania. GRADE: C+