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Product Details
This HBO original comedy, adapted by Larry Gelbart (Tootsie) from the book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, concerns one of the most compelling tales of corporate buyout madness in the go-go 1980s. James Garner plays F. Ross Johnson, CEO of RJR Nabisco. Following failed and expensive efforts to sell a smokeless cigarette to the public, Johnson decides that he's had enough of navigating around the wrath of the company's stockholders. Drawing up plans to buy RJR Nabisco outright, he soon finds himself outmatched (though still determined) in a race for the prize with takeover king Henry Kravis (Jonathan Pryce). The ensuing battle is both bitterly funny and full of acid-tinged insights into the '80s greed that changed corporate America forever. Besides Gelbart's great script and Glenn Jordan's competent direction, the star of this exciting film is Garner, who is absolutely wonderful as the gracious Johnson. --Tom Keogh
Product Reviews
 (5 stars) - Funny, Entertaining and Based on Reality
The movie is very well done. I have read the book, and seen the movie several times. The book does a great job of describing the situation and providing a blow by blow account of the RJR takeover. The movie provides an entertaining interpretation on the book itself.
While the filmmakers take some artistic license and based the film on reality without completely adhering to it, the movie itself is both a very funny and a reasonably accurate portrayal of the book's themes and characters.
A good movie, good for laughs, and even better when you remember that in general, it really happened...
(5 stars) - Oscar Award Winning Worthy!
Barbarians at The Gate is remarkable! The difference between Wall Street and Barbarians at The Gate? Barbarians at The Gate is a true story! That makes for truly amazing entertainment! The television movie based on the book and made by HBO was about the LBO (leveraged buyout) of R.J.R. Nabisco! Directed by Glenn Jordan just after the huge (real-life) Wall Street crash this movie was a huge success!
F. Ross Johnson (played by James Garner), the CEO of R.J.R. Nabisco makes plans to buy out all of the Nabisco shareholders. After hearing horrible reviews of the failure of his company's (soon to be launched) new smokeless cigarette called Premier, F. Ross Johnson plans to to take his company private. After discussing doing the LBO with Henry Kravis and his cousin George R. Roberts he then decides to take it to another firm, making Henry Kravis feel betrayed. Thats when the battle begins!
Its an all our war on Wall Street as ballers go head to head! This 5 star film is a must see and a must own!
I recommend this!
~Darien S. McDaniel II
 (4 stars) - Great (and timely) must see movie
This is an HBO-made movie I originally saw back when it came out. I recently thought about it, as we are experiencing similar corporate greed issues, but now which are affecting the entire world. I enjoyed it as much as I remember I did originally. And James Garner is outstanding! I wonder how long it will be before the next great, similar movie is made? Though this one will have to inject politics into it. Mmmm ... yummy!
(4 stars) - Perfectly timely now in '09, but forgotten
This is one of the films that put HBO Films on the map. It is absolutely relevant to today's financial crisis, but is set back in the '80's. It is the truth-based telling of one of the most crazy and out of control buy-outs in Wall Street history (until now, of course). A corporate drama-comedy, it is filled with both moments of intensity and hilarity. James Garner is truly entertaining as the foul, unmannered F Ross Johnson, and Jonathan Pryce skillfully understated as the refined Henry Kravis. Supporting cast including Fred Thompson and Peter Riegert are excellent and round out a full viewing experience.
WHY is this NOT getting airplay right now?! Buy it.
(5 stars) - Brilliant lok at the financial excesses of the '80's
Barbarians At The Gate focuses more on the personalities and egos that drove the stunning LBO of RJRNabisco. James Garner plays a role you rarely see him in, along with a terrific complement of seasoned actors illustrating the ego clashes and senseless competitiveness that typified the LBO scene of the times. Well paced, with a mix of a dramatic percussion-driven soundtrack with an almost light-hearted unique whistling soundtrack at telling moments, this movie holds your attention from the very beginning. The movie manages to lay out the whole event and cleverly illustrates the insanity without laying on thick judgementalism. You're hard-pressed to find whose greed and whose ego is bigger. A telling scene is where the Chairman of RJR agrees to pay KKR $45 million simply to wait another hour for the board to decide. The book goes into a great deal more history and detail, but the movie captures the mood and atmosphere of the time much better.
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