This is a very good documentary/movie about the last nineteen years in Kora, Kenya, of the famed, real-life lion rehabilitator, 'Baba ya Simba' ("Father of Lions" in Swahili), the British wildlife conservationist and author, George Adamson; and, told by his assistant of nineteen years, Tony Fitzjohn.The acting in this movie is marvelous! Tough-guy Richard Harris ("The Guns of Navarone," "Man in the Wilderness," and, later, "Gladiator") is spot-on as George Adamson, in looks, mannerisms, and, behavior. John Michie portrays a powerful Tony Fitzjohn. Ian Bannen ("Gandhi" and "Braveheart") also gives a great performance as George Adamson's brother, Terrence. Honor Blackman ("Goldfinger") and Geraldine Chaplin ("Doctor Zhivago") also give great performances, and, are still beautiful after their famed performances almost forty years earlier.Adamson, and, his wife, Joy, who wrote the bestselling book, "Born Free," are portrayed in that movie by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. George Adamson, himself, is in "Christian the Lion;" "An Elephant Called Slowly;" and, in footage, in "The Lion Cub From Herrods" - all very good. I included this as fact, but, also, if people wished to see more of the connected stories of George Adamson and his adventures in Kenya.This movie, "To Walk With Lions," is a very good depiction of what I've read in articles and online about George Adamson and his assistant, Tony Fitzjohn, and, their nineteen years spent together in Kenya.Although very good, this is a movie that children and overly-sensitive adults may be deeply saddened by, and, even appalled by. The poachers are ruthless and determined; the government is weak and ineffective; the game wardens are too few, and, some take bribes to look the other way; and, Adamson, despite his courage, determination, and, love of this land and all animals that live upon it, is old and gradually becoming invalid. Plus, his brother, Terrence, dying, likely from heartbreak after his beloved elephant-friends were butchered by poachers; his estranged wife, Joy, being murdered by a former employee; and, the turmoil engulfing his once-beautiful wildlife-world is becoming worse...have all taken a toll on George Adamson's already poor health.I, being a veterinary technician specialized in exotics and wildlife for twenty-nine years, and, seeing all sorts of terrible things, still wept in parts of this movie. However, over these many years, I've come to realize that the wild is just that, 'wild.' But...when 'man' is added to that equation, especially those who don't care nor respect the wild, 'the wild' can become chaotic and eventually destroyed. Adamson tried to prevent this, and, if not for the greed of poachers and his lack of resources and manpower, he may have done just that.A great documentary/movie of a great man and pioneer accomplishing great and seemingly impossible things, but, this movie is not for everyone.I give this a solid "TEN STARS" due to the 'very few' who stuck it out till 'their end,' and, at least 'tried' to make this wonderful idea of lion rehabilitation and natural conservation work. And...it did, until the powers-that-be became phonies and puppets but 'allowing' bad events to take place.Check it out...but, it's not for everyone.

Impressive movie, the best I have seen about Africa, the characters are very well developed, Its inspiring what people can achieve when they really put their minds to work and their hearts are on the right frequency :DThe way in which the actor playing George Adamson (Richard Harris) interacts with the lions looks very natural, almost as if the actor borrowed the soul of an old lion while performing, he left me with an intense feeling of wonder, I'm a fine arts painter, and the expressions, landscapes, and overall feel of the movie would do for some truly impressive paintings, so much that I feel the need to go to Africa one day to do sketches of lions and landscapes, a really compelling and powerful vision, my deepest respect to George Adamson and Richard Harris, the rest of the cast does an impressive job too, but some how I was very impressed by the performance of that old Man that Walked with Lions.

I enjoyed this film very much. My granddaughter who is 12 couldn't get through it. Because it is about George Adamson, of Born Free fame, you may be tempted to get this as a movie for the family to watch together. It's real appeal is to those of us past a certain age where we begin to think about the end of life as much as about the beginning. Richard Harris is incredible in this film as a man who refuses to let the changes time has wrought on his part of Africa or his body make him compromise any of his principles. This film will make you believe he has a spiritual connection to the lions, that lions are closer to humans than we'd like to admit. George Adamson is a much more interesting character in this movie than in the Born Free movies. The photography of Africa is spectacular, the scenes of poaching heartbreaking. This is a grown up movie about grown up issues, but it is not an unrelenting downer. It will probably inspire you to do something a little more important with the time you have left.

Documentary type films have always been tricky to make. They're not always about topics that mass audiences find interesting but there have been some relative successes (Gorillas in the Mist). "To Walk with Lions" is another one of these documentary type movies. Before I proceed, I apologize if this review has a sombre feel to it. It is one of the few movies I've seen this year that has had such an impact on me. It's been about 30 minutes since I've left the theatre and I'm sitting here in a coffee shop writing this but I find myself still thinking about the events of this movie.The film is based on the true life accounts of George Adamson and Tony Fitzjohn. George Adamson (played by Richard Harris) is a wildlife conservationist in Kenya that specializes in the re-release of lions back into the wild. Tony Fitzjohn (played by John Michie) is a drifter that floats from job to job in Africa and somehow ends up being hired as Adamson's assistant. This chance encounter turned out to change Fitzjohn's life forever. The story focuses on Adamson's plight of running his lion release program and the politics involved during a time when the Kenyan government is in a state of unrest. The film shows the relationship that evolves between Adamson and Fitzjohn and does so through the eyes of Fitzjohn. This particular movie focuses on the time from when Fitzjohn is hired to when Fitzjohn takes over Adamson's life work in 1989, a span of 18 years. There is very little about the actual release program itself but rather focuses on Adamson as a person and what plights he faces. Thrown in this mix, is the problem that Adamson faces as the Kenyan government threatens to shut down his operations and put and end to his program. He must deal with this issue as well as handle poaching problems occurring in the area.There have been many movies made in or about Africa but this film has a very different feel to it. Gone are the bright colors and crystal clear pictures. This film truly has the feel of a documentary. It is frequently very dusty and the actors always seemed to be covered in dirt and grime. In addition, the picture is not always in focus (either that or the dust swirls around so much that it dulls everything) that it adds an element of reality to the movie. You can almost feel the grit in your mouth.Richard Harris plays Adamson wonderfully and he looks amazingly similar to the real Adamson. As to how accurately he portrays the real Adamson, I don't know but his actual acting performance was incredible. This is the first time I have ever seen Harris but he definitely puts his best foot forward. John Michie plays Fitzjohn equally well and the audience gets a real sense of respect and admiration from him as his relationship with Adamson develops. What makes these performances all the more impressive is that most of the scenes with the lions are done with both actors and lions together in the same shot...and in close proximity to each other. Some of the mauling scenes looking amazingly real too...maybe a bit too real. Some of the other scenes with other animals are quite graphic too and a bit on the hard side to watch. The introduction of Adamson's wife, Joy was a bit weak. It wasn't fully developed and left a lot of questions. From what I know of their relationship, it seemed to be closer than what was portrayed but I'm not expert so I can't really comment on that part of it but in my opinion, they could have removed Joy Adamson's involvement in this movie and it would have been just as effective.Overall, I thought this movie was fantastic but you leave the theatre with a heavy heart. The lions are real and the reactions to them seem genuine. It is a bit graphic in some cases but it is definitely worth the time to see. Keep in mind that this is based on real life accounts of both George Adamson and Tony Fitzjohn and therefore doesn't mean that the ending is going to be happy. In fact, it leaves you thinking about a lot of things that we as a human race allow to occur. > A