Barbarians at the Gate Reviews

• Wall Street wackiness

  
  By A2V3P1XE33NYC3 on 2004-10-09
  The 1980s were a time of unparalleled corporate greed, or so the media told us then and now. You had a bunch of workaholic young executives known as "Yuppies" pounding the pavement in New York making complete fools out of themselves. Why? Because many of these dolts were the same ijits involved in the flower power movement a few years before. You simply must hand it to the Baby Boomers--never has a generation taken so much from so many and given back so little to so few. By the time the 1980s rolled around, many of these cads turned up their sleeves and went about changing the corporate world. Thanks a lot. Largely due to the efforts of this generation, we all have to jump through a lot more hoops to get and hold a job. "Barbarians at the Gate" is a satirical look at just one aspect of the corruption the Boomers helped bring to the work world, namely the managed/leveraged buy out (...). Although several of the principals in the film look much older than the Boomers, don't be fooled. It was the total lack of morality of the post-war generation that helped fuel the greed of the 1980s.
  
  This made for HBO film--one of the best the channel ever created by the way--stars James Garner as Nabisco/RJR chief executive officer F. Ross Johnson. This is a guy who is a born salesman, as the beginning of the film shows us when we see a youthful Johnson selling photography sessions door to door. By the time he has grown up, he's running one of the biggest corporations in America, selling cookies and smokes to people around the world. In fact, Johnson's latest brainchild is the creation of a smokeless cigarette that promises to revolutionize the industry. The possibility of huge profits from the new venture leads Johnson to make an offhand comment about buying the company so he can hold on to most of the profits. Little does he know how easy it is to accomplish this goal. His friends put him on to a fellow named Henry Kravitz (Jonathan Pryce), a corporate raider known for his skills in buying up companies and turning huge profits in the process. Johnson meets with Henry, but doesn't care for the guy that much. For one thing, Kravitz is a bit on the cold side whereas Ross is everyone's witty friend. Worse, the Nabisco executive gets the feeling that Henry won't let him run the company the way he sees fit, i.e. maintaining a huge fleet of corporate jets and posh expense accounts.
  
  Ross Johnson decides to go ahead with his leveraged buy out without Kravitz at the helm. He contacts his old friend Jim Robinson (Jim Thompson) over at American Express, who in turn brings in hotshot financial whiz Peter Cohen (Peter Riegert) from the firm of Shearson Lehman to help finance the deal. Robinson's ingratiating wife and public relations guru Linda (Joanna Cassidy) also lends a hand. All the principals must keep quiet about what they plan to do, though, because Kravitz and other sharks on Wall Street will jump into the fray if they get a whiff of Johnson's ambitious intentions. Of course, that's exactly what happens. Kravitz does discover the plan and makes it a personal crusade to force Johnson out of the picture. Henry considers himself the "Father of the LBO," and he's not about to let a bunch of upstarts steal his limelight. He's got his own hotshots willing to work night and day in order to present a better offer for RJR/Nabisco stock to the company's board. The majority of the film deals with the minutiae of back and forth backstabbing, blatant greed, under the table dealing, and assorted other highly unethical business practices. You'll be surprised to discover how suspenseful this film makes a leveraged buy out seem.
  
  Rarely have I seen a film that so successfully balances a message with fantastic humor, great characters, and high suspense. The message, of course, is the unbridled greed of corporate America. Repeatedly, these characters plot and plan to make a boatload of the green stuff while everyone else suffers the consequences. Layoffs don't mean a thing to these people as long as they can fill their pockets. You should despise these people, and you will at times, but most of them possess endearing traits as well. Garner's depiction of Johnson steals the show in this respect. His witticisms, outbursts, and general grouchiness are hilarious to behold, with none other than the scene where he discovers the utter failure of his smokeless cigarette serving as proof of this assertion. "I need an extra set of lungs to take a drag of this thing" is the cleanest line I can mention from the exchange. Garner's just great, and the primary reason I have watched this film at least a dozen times since it came out in the early 1990s. His overpowering presence tends to overshadow the great performances put in by Jonathan Pryce, Jim Thompson, and Jeffrey DeMunn as one of Ross's underlings at Nabisco. David Rasche does a great job in the small but very funny role of Ted Forstmann, an investment banker seeking to carve out his own niche in Ross's deal.
  
  I don't know what the problem is over at HBO, but they consistently release their films to DVD with few to no extras. At least "Barbarians at the Gate" comes with a widescreen picture transfer, something I can't say for several other HBO releases I have rented lately. If you love James Garner, or just adore films with a high entertainment value, you must check out this obscure little gem soon. Do it for no other reason than to blow raspberries at that darned Boomer immorality!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Enormously entertaining satire of corporate America

  
  By A152C8GYY25HAH on 2002-05-05
  This especially witty satire is one of the best movies about modern corporate attitudes ever made. It's based on the true story of the leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco in the 1980s. While the filmmakers have naturally taken some artistic license, I think they capture the spirit of the event. In big business, they assert, given the choice between being greedy and doing the right thing, being greedy usually wins. This was especially true in this case because the bidding war that broke out drove the purchase price into the stratosphere. The company's stock, which had been trading in the $40 range was driven up to over $100. A whole lot of rich people got a whole lot richer.

  There are many things to enjoy about "Barbarians at the Gate", not the least of which is James Garner as F. Ross Johnson, the man who ran RJR. He is completely believable as a natural born salesman who rose to run one of the world's biggest corporations. His greed may be a turnoff, but his zest for living is infectious and charming. You can't help liking the guy. His nemesis in this high stakes game in the financier, Henry Kravis, played by Jonathon Pryce. It's a deliciously villainous role, and Pryce makes the most of it. Also of note is the great character actor Peter Riegert as Peter Cohen, Johnson's right-hand man in the deal.

  I especially liked the movie's tone. It looks upon the goings on with an eye as jaundiced as the players themselves. It views them as overgrown boys fighting over a very big toy, but it does so with an amused, almost affection, flavor. The result is an enormously entertaining and very funny movie.
  
  

• Barbarians: Fast funny satire, and it's true too!

  
  By on 1997-10-16
  Who knew you could make a comedy about a Leveraged Buyout (LBO)? James Garner, in a brilliant performance, plays F. Ross Johnson, the CEO of RJR Nabisco who wants to buy out the company. He learns about LBOs from the cool slick Henry Kravis, the then-master of the buyout (played by Jonathan Pryce). When Ross takes Kravis' advice and goes out on his own, Henry gets MAD and fires his own salvo. This was a time when people threw figures like "$25 billion" around and thought nothing of it. The technicals of the deal are explained with enough detail that non-financiers can easily follow what's going on. Nice satirical touches like Ross' wife's manicurist explaining the art of the deal to her. A lot of cussing; after all, this was the ultimate boys' game. Fine fun movie. END
  
  

• Great entertainment if you like Wall Street, etc.

  
  By A2GGIXJ3JWOHH8 on 2003-01-15
  People who complained that this movie doesn't compare to the book should relax a little. Any movie that's based on books cannot do the book justice in less than 2 hours. If you have 3 hours a la Lord of the Rings or 4 hours like the A&E production of Pride & Prejudice, then maybe and I would have adjusted my rating accordingly.

  But this movie is under 2 hours and managed to take a very complicated topic in Leveraged Buy-Outs (LBO's) in one of the biggest LBO's of our time in RJR-Nabisco and manages to make the story very entertaining. It flows quickly and I had no trouble following what's going on.

  The acting is superb; Jonathan Pryce played Henry Kravis as a cold, calculated and ruthless corporate raider (whether Kravis is like that in real life I don't know) and James Garner did a nice job as F. Ross Johnson. Overall, if you like wall street type movies like Wall Street with Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen, I would highly recommend this movie. In fact, I like this better than Wall Street.
  
  

• Don't Miss This One!

  
  By on 2000-06-22
  I first saw this movie on HBO when it debuted in 1993 and have watched it over and over ever since. It is hillariously funny yet full of all the drama that the world of corporate buy outs holds - and whether you are familiar with that world or just as ignorant to all of it's inner workings as I was, you will easily follow the story. This movie is very well written (based on actual events that took place at RJR Nabisco)and provides superior performances by both James Garner and Jonathan Pryce. If you enjoy a story that combines comedy and drama geared for those that are beyond those Gen X years - give this a try. You'll love it!
  
  
• Infamous LBO and Characters Interestingly Depicted
  By A1WAUS33L3PRV on 2000-10-20
  In the wild and wooly 1980s, leveraged buyouts (LBOs) -- financed predominantly through the issuance of junk bonds -- reigned supreme. James Garner gives a nice performance as CEO of RJR Nabisco, F. Ross Johnson. After reluctantly meeting with KKR's LBO guru Henry Kravis (portrayed masterfully by Jonathan Pryce), Johnson figures it would be best to go his own route to accomplish the buyout; after all, Johnson wants to retain his autonomy and Pryce would unlikely allow this to happen.

  An all-out power war ensues, with Johnson working with Shearson Lehman Brothers pitted against Kravis and the powerhouse Drexel Burnham Lambert (mysteriously downplayed).

  The performances are great and the storyline moves fast and holds your interest. Not to be missed if the dynamic world of finance is your thing. A very different movie than Wall Street both cinematically and contextually.

  Stars James Garner, Jonathan Pryce (really, really good), and Peter Riegert.
  
  

• The wonderful true story of 1980's greed....
  By A1DURVZNRMA2NK on 2001-07-07
  This is the true account (albeit, dramatized), of the RJR-Nabisco Corporate takeover which took place in the mid-80's. James Garner plays Ross Johnson, Candian-born CEO of RJR-Nabisco, Inc. At a Nabisco-sponsored golf outing, Ross gets a suggestion that he should try to buy out the Company himself, and, in turn make big sacks of the green stuff. He then finds himself tangling with leverage buy-out king, Henry Kravis, who doesn't take kindly to Ross trying to do the deal without him. Then, chaos ensues as all parties involved outstep each other, and try to keep up at the same time. There's more to the story than that, but I shall not give it all away. Grab an Oreo and a Cig, sit back and watch. Note: This film was originally produced and shown on HBO. Also starring: Joanna Cassidy, Fred Thompson (now U.S. Senator Thompson), and Peter Riegert.
  
  
• I could see this movie over and over
  By A7PW2LP6XAS17 on 2003-09-20
  This is a great movie, particularly for someone interested in true stories of corporate behavior. Several of my finance professors when I was pursing my MBA recommended this movie. I was not disappointed.

  Due to a high volume of profanity, this movie is not appropriate for young children.
  
  

• Not as great as the book, but a DELIGHTFUL farce
  By AUHG8KSHI529U on 2002-11-07
  The book this movie is made from is a masterpiece of business literature. It is impossible to make that wonderful book into anything less than an extended documentary or a several part mini-series. That being admitted and set aside, this is a very good and very funny movie. Amazingly, it tells a lot of the actual story as you can cram into a standard movie format.

  It is bitingly funny and like all satire that truly bites, it is funny because it is based on truth. This movie condenses the RJR - KKR competition into something like a farce (as it seemed in the papers at the time). Some may object to making such a huge deal into something of a joke, but c'mon, this whole deal had a large dose of the absurd about it. How else could they have played this story in two hours?

  And it is has the additional benefit of being educational for business students. You will see how managers misuse shareholder money by treating it as if it were their own (agency costs). You will see planeloads of money poured into bad projects (NPV). You will see naked greed, inept investment advice, and broken trust (corporate ethics). You know, late 20th century American business! It is funny, dramatic, and a bit touching, for example, as they fly the sick pooch home on his own private corporate jet. (Which some deny every happening, but it has entered the realm of legend - so whether it happened or not it has become something like a kind of truth.)

  James Garner is terrific (he almost always is) as is the whole cast. It really is a delightful movie and that is almost miraculous given how deadly boring this topic could have become.

  But don't forget to read the book!
  
  

• Well acted!!!!
  By on 1999-08-26
  Garner is good, but Jonathan Pryce was great. Movie explains the financial aspects on such a basic level that anyone outside The Street will understand.
  
  
• Great satire on the 80's and the business world
  By A1AKU188I6NRF0 on 2000-12-09
  Great satirical take on an excellent book. James Garner nails Ross Johnson and his desire to takeover his company. Jonathan Pryce makes an excellent Henry Kravis. The supporting characters are very good, too. Funny, sad, sometimes intense. If you haven't read the book yet, the video can help you understand it in a superficial way and will probably make you want to pick it up to get the gory details of how it all came about. Of course, the book is much more straightforward in it's approach.

  The video really lampoons the greed of the 1980's and makes the viewer wonder whatever became of the smokeless cigarette.
  
  

• 1980's Greed at its Best
  By A2XRZV63X79YSJ on 2005-12-14
  Barbarian's at the Gate was one of HBO's first attempt at quality television movie making. HBO has become a ground for stars to do "quality but uncommercial" films. This film does not have any major stars but was produced by Ray Stark (Funny Girl and numerous Neil Simon movies) and written by Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H).
  
  This is based on the true story of the sale of RJR Nabisco. This is a good example of truth being stranger than fiction (and definitely funnier than reality.) CEO F Ross Johnson wants to take Nabisco private and own the company himself.
  
  What ensues is what became typical of the 1980's, bidding war, junk bonds and massive ego.
  
  James Garner, most famous for playing Jim Rockford, plays F Ross Johnson. He oozes southern charm and unmitigated ego. You really want him to win in the end.
  
  Jonathan Pryce, mostly know for bit and supporting roles - this is pre Miss Saigon, plays Henry Kravis a Wall Street mover and shaker. This role became his stereotype for many years to come and to a certain extent still plays.
  
  Peter Reigert, again mostly know for support roles and independent films, plays Peter Cohen, another Wall Street big wig who will align himself with who he thinks will win.
  
  Joanna Cassidy, most famous for Who Framed Roger Rabbit and now Six Feet Under, is one of those great actresses who never got her big shot. She plays the Cohen's wife and shrewd investment banker.
  
  This film is great if for no other reason than it is a true story and perfectly catches the greed of the 1980's.
  
  DVD EXTRAS: Cast Bio's
  
  
  
• Comedy goes Wall Street
  By A1ITM4KRDHFQE4 on 2001-07-04
  This is a TV production of a true story, based in the book of the same name by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar about the biggest corporate takeover of the eighties, the Nabisco acquisition. James Garner is simply the perfect choice as the Nabisco CEO who try to buy his own company and in the way he sets a good blend of mistakes and laughs. Historically accurate is comedy in Wall Street with a 'Gran Final'.
  
  
• Betraid
  By A4L00NWFMM38V on 2005-09-27
  You had to be there. I was and so were thousands of other people. Ross Johnson was and is a tyrant in its truest form. Through the early 80's RJR was deeply involved in investing in other product industries, thus taking focus off the tobacco and allowed NABISCO's hinchman, Roos Johnson to take over.
  
  I rate this movie at a 4 for comedy content only, because I'm a fan of James Garner. But the seriousness of this story goes much, much deeper into the actual lives and story that was never told. Imagine that...............
  
  Carson Strickland
  
  
  
  
• Business with a sence of Humour
  By AJC09HQBUF98M on 2006-04-13
  Business with humour, nothing better. Great film that combines factually based 1980's greed with a humerous side. Loved it when R & D produced a questionable product, with a distinctive smell and taste :-)
  
  
• The creator of M*A*S*H wrote this?
  By A2SD1Z4OROY538 on 2006-10-06
  I was surprised to see Larry Gelbart wrote the screenplay of this unfunny movie. I can recall very few laughs in this film. The premise of the film is to highlight the greed of the 1980's, but the lesson is quite dated in the era of Enron and WorldCom. The greed here is apparent and at least honest and upfront, in contrast to the dishonesty and deception of some of the greed of the late 1990's. As for the message, I certainly don't think the shareholders of RJR Reynolds minded being courted so well. If I were a shareholder of a slumping company I'd be mighty grateful to live in a society where people have the freedom to pay whatever crazy price they want for my stock! James Garner is wonderful in this show, and the movie does a nice job of laying out the business concepts in terms your grandmother can understand. I do have to confess, however, to dozing a bit in the middle of this movie, so perhaps I missed the funny parts.
  
  
• I dislike James Garner, but this is a great movie
  By on 1999-06-15
  Garner is one of the most arrogant, talentless lowlifes in Hollywood, but I have to call a spade a spade-- this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Intriguing, funny at times and suspenseful (in spite of Garner). Well, Garner's character is almost as big a lowlife as he is, so the casting kind of makes sense. Don't miss this one.
  
  
• The best CEO's Movie
  By A2MELG6870HXLY on 2002-03-08
  Want to know what does "Take Over" means ???? Buy it and know it. Perfect for MBA's students.
  
  
• The book was great the Movie well.....
  By A3MOD269Z6QEQA on 2002-07-10
  The book was a great read but unfortunately the movie was a disappointment. I have expected the movie to be at the same lines as the book in the manners of suspense and thrill that were major driving elements in this masterpiece. Instead a caricature adaptation that spoiled the drama, adventure and more importantly the Reality which were felt through-out the book. I'd rather give NO stars but to be fair the style of acting deserves some respect therefore I rated it with two stars.
  
  
• accurate and fun
  By A3D99W4ATG4BC2 on 2004-09-01
  Comically captures the 80s zeitgeist while exposing the logistics of MBO's/LBO's better than most business school texts. Highly recommended.
  
  
  
  
• Barbaric parody at the Gates
  By A2YW05R3GFSP80 on 2007-01-09
  The screen version of the book is nothing like the book in any manner, except for the characters and the plot. The movie lacks that serious business and glamorous edge that the book brings out. The movie summarises the story and shreds it almost to pieces. The movie rushes through the story in mock-comedy fashion as if the whole shinding was an episode of a comedy series. The book is about the power, greed, bravado and glory that emanated from Wall Street in the roaring '80s and shook the entire financial and business world in that era - globally. The movie misses that point by light years. It's a childish and vindictive parody of a great story. It's also pretends to be a "Dummy's guide to LBO's in the 1980's" when characters explain the salient points of LBO's. I hope another director/producer team will give this another bash and bring to the screen a real powerful and moving story based on this book.
  
  
• Surprisingly good
  By A1MJMYLRTZ76ZX on 2007-05-24
  I'm a big fan of Garner from way back, ever since he did "Support Your Local Sheriff," a low key but very funny spoof on western films from the early 70s, if I remember right. He seems like a down to earth guy whose big screen stardom never went to his head--much like Sean Connery--who certainly could have let such fame, money and stardom go to his head, too.
  
  This movie chronicles the shenanigans surrounding a leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco. You wouldn't think a corporate buyout would be that interesting a subject for a movie, but the movie succeeds on Garner's witty, cynical, repeatedly exasperated, and humorous portrayal of the company's CEO, although the rest of the cast is good too. The movie is also a reminder of the unbridled greed that swept the country in the 80s as hostile takeovers became the rage on Wall St., and it didn't matter how many people lost their jobs or their retirements as long as the takeover sharks got their cut.
  
  As a result of these changes, as my fellow Top 100 reviewer, Jeff Leach, said previously in his much more detailed review, it's a lot harder for the average American to get and hold a job, and make a decent wage. And real wages (which is wages adjusted for inflation) have been declining in the U.S. since the late 60s--another dire trend which is unfortunately likely to continue as a result of competition from India and China, and our increasingly extravagant deficit spending.
  
  
• A Unexpected Hit
  By A1Y8D2GUQ0UJ7Y on 2001-11-18
  James Garner is at his best in Barbarians at the Gate, This is a video that should been seen by all. One can't quite believe that this is a true story. You question if the excess' in the movie were exaggerated, I assure you thery weren't. It is a ture faxt that when the RJR Nabisco head left Atlanta, for a Golf Match in Palm Springs, they all took their own private jets. 23 in all. Watch how Garner tries to buyout Nabisco, and see what happens when he gets some stiff competition. This is a ture story, but it and you will enjoy.
  
  
• Origin of Mergers & Acquisitions
  By A1VES03TZSBG84 on 2002-04-13
  This film can be seen as the story telling on the origin of mergers and acquisitions in the history of human which dominates the financial markets activities nowaday.
  
  
• A great tell about LBOs
  By AGCN6FJ6QU9ZG on 2007-01-12
  I really liked this movie. For those who like finance and are aware of the stress that it conveys, Barbarians At The Gate shows the intricacies of LBOs and also how every business has a strong emotional factor that is many times overlooked.
  
  
• Doesn't do Justice to the book
  By A2PO5VU364JIT9 on 2007-02-14
  An average movie with average performances. Glosses over many of the details in the book and ignores the role of many important characters. It wont appeal much to the general audience and neither will it satisfy the people who have already read the book.
  
  
• If you read the book, it's a disappointment.
  By A2P5Z3K4N9H616 on 2002-11-03
  If not, it can be funny even to laymen. Obviously, it's practically impossible to transfer everything from the book to movie. So don't expect too much, Wall Street guys.
  
  
• An industry and a time nailed by James Garner
  By A2BKMLQZRMDJJK on 2007-01-09
  Though the movie is targteting the US audience I can only recommend this movie for anyone who needs to understand the late 80's and the tobacco business of that time. James Garner does a marvellous performance not only as the CEO of R.J. Reynolds but also as an icon of a time.
  
  
• An Entertaining Tool Applicable To Business.
  By ARPXVUM7GP1FH on 2007-09-01
  This movie, based on a true story, chronicles the sale of RJR Nabisco during an era when Mergers and Acquisitions were at an all time high. James Garner, in a brilliant performance, plays F. Ross Johnson, the CEO of RJR Nabisco who wants to take Nabisco private and be its majority owner.
  
  The movie does a nice job explaining the financial aspects of a LBO(Leveraged Buyout) on such a basic level that anyone can understand. Throughout the film the storyline flows quickly, although at times certain scenes were a little canned and the satire a bit corny.
  
  The backdrop of the movie is loaded with back and forth backstabbing, blatant greed, under the table dealing, and Jonathan Pryce's depiction of Henry Kravis, a Wall Street mover and shaker and corporate raider is outstanding.
  
  Of course by no means this work supersedes the book, but nevertheless you may find the effort quite entertaining.
  
  Over all, I really enjoyed this movie.
  
  
  
• Barbarians and Buffoons rattling at the gates
  By A25XQV0EY9D56T on 2007-10-22
  Good film : Garner gives a remarkably convincing performance.
  Screenplay is well structured and pungently critical of the corporate strategies displayed by all those drawn into the levered buyout game and gamble.
  
  

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