Barbarians at the Gate

TV Movie
19931993
RR
1h 47min

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Biography Comedy Drama

The president of a major tobacco company decides to buy the company himself, but a bidding war ensues as other companies make their own offers.The president of a major tobacco company decides to buy the company himself, but a bidding war ensues as other companies make their own offers.The president of a major tobacco company decides to buy the company himself, but a bidding war ensues as other companies make their own offers.

Director
- Glenn Jordan
Writers
- Bryan Burrough(book)
- John Helyar(book)
- Larry Gelbart(teleplay)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Won 1 Primetime Emmy
- 8 wins & 16 nominations total

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

James Garner and Leilani Sarelle in Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Leilani Sarelle in Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Leilani Sarelle in Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

James Garner in Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

Director
- Glenn Jordan
Writers
- Bryan Burrough(book)
- John Helyar(book)
- Larry Gelbart(teleplay)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

F. Ross Johnson, the CEO of RJR Nabisco decides that the time is ripe to take over his own company and enlists American Express. This kicks off a tide of other firms swarming in to tender offers. The outline of the film follows the actual takeover of the RJR Nabisco empire in a tongue in cheek way. —John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

multi millionaire market research tobacco wall street manhattan new york city cigarette smoking 45 more

Taglines
- After a power breakfast they'll still eat you for lunch.
Genres
Certificate
- R
Parents guide

Trivia
A TV movie for the HBO network.

Goofs
The film is set in 1988, but a post-1991 Chevrolet Caprice taxi is visible during a street scene.

Quotes
1st Scientist: [talking about the smokeless Premier cigarette survey] Well of all the people we surveyed the results were just about uniform
F. Ross Johnson: Uh huh.
Edward A. Horrigan Jr.: They all said they tasted like shit.
F. Ross Johnson: Like shit?
2nd Scientist: Shit was the consensus, yes sir.
F. Ross Johnson: They all said that? Nobody liked them?
2nd Scientist: Fewer than 5%
F. Ross Johnson: You said you heard the results were terrific.
Edward A. Horrigan Jr.: There's nothing wrong with 5%, Ross, I'll take 5% of the smoking market any day of the week
F. Ross Johnson: How much are we into right now?
1st Scientist: Right now?
F. Ross Johnson: To date, to here, to now?
1st Scientist: Upwards of 350.
F. Ross Johnson: We've spent 350 million dollars and we come up with a turd with a tip? God almighty, Ed! We poured enough technology in this project to send a cigarette to the moon and we come up with one that tastes like it took a dump?
Edward A. Horrigan Jr.: We haven't even talked about the smell.
F. Ross Johnson: Oh what did they say that was like? A fart?
Edward A. Horrigan Jr.: Yep.
F. Ross Johnson: Oh you're not serious! They really said that?
2nd Scientist: We have an awful lot of fart figures.
F. Ross Johnson: Tastes like shit and smells like a fart! Got ourselves a real winner here, it's one goddamn unique advertising slogan I'll give you that.

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Point of No Return/CB4/Fire in the Sky/Barbarians at the Gate/Il Lardo Di Bambini (1993)

Soundtracks
G-String
Written and Performed by Elmer Sheffield

Top review

7/10

solid TV from Garner

F. Ross Johnson (James Garner) is a born salesman and a self-made millionaire. In 1988, he's the wild-spending high-flying CEO of RJR Nabisco. The stock is stubbornly low. He decides to try to take the company private but he's worried about the debt at first. He is eager to promote the revolutionary new smokeless cigarette Premier but then he's told about its problems. Others become attracted to the deal and it becomes a greedy stampede in the search for a leverage buyout.

This is a solid depiction of 80s Wall Street. It is all James Garner and he drives this movie with glee. It is top notch HBO although I still want a bit more cinematic style. It would be great to have music from the era. There are plenty of great costars but Garner overshadows them all. This is a big time TV movie.

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SnoopyStyle
Mar 17, 2016

Release date
- March 20, 1993 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Language
- English
Also known as
- Kaos på Wall Street
Production companies
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Runtime
- 1h 47min
Color
- Color
Sound mix
- Stereo
Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1

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