Main Cast: James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, Peter Riegert, Joanna Cassidy, Jeffrey DeMunn
Release Year: 1993
Country: US
Run Time: 107 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This TV movie recounts the true-life story of a corporate takeover in the greed-driven 1980s. James Garner is F. Ross Johnson, CEO of RJR-Nabisco. Having just been burned by an expensive failure of a smokeless cigarette product, Johnson doesn't wish to incur the wrath of the stockholders. He begins drawing up plans to buy RJR-Nabisco outright so he'll have no one to answer to but himself. Unfortunately for Johnson, his company is also being coveted by sharkish "buyout king" Henry Kravis (Jonathan Pryce), who turns out to have $25 billion at his beck and call. Barbarians at the Gate was adapted by Larry Gelbart from the book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. Advertised as a "docucomedy", the film premiered March 20, 1993, over the HBO cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Leilani Sarelle - Laurie Johnson; Tom Aldredge - Hugel; Graham Beckel - Don Kelly; Raye Birk - Travis Gaines; Ron Canada - Vernon Jordan; Dick Cavett - Himself; Ann Cooper - Shearson Woman; Peter Dvorsky - George Roberts; Peter Frechette - Robert Allegro; Bruce French - Golfer Jay; Mary Hale - Cipollone Newscaster; Dale Harimoto - Helicopter Reporter; Rosanna Huffman - Juanita Kreps; Jeanne Mori - Elizabeth Arden Waxer; Dean Norris - 1st Scientist; F. William Parker - Ira Harris; Eric Poppick - 2nd Scientist; David Rasche - Ted Forstmann; Roger Rook - RJR Pilot; Nancy Stephens - Kravis' Maid; Timothy Stickney - Taxi Driver; Fred Dalton Thompson - Jim Robinson; Kent Williams - Tom Hill; Rita Wilson - Carolyne Roehm; Matt Clark - Ed Horrigan; Mark Harelik - Peter Atkins; Paul Vincent - New York Limo Driver; Sally Stewart - Homeless Woman; Bruce Beatty - Anthony the Pizza Man; Scott Stevens - Air Traffic Controller; Steven M. Gagnon - Milken Newscaster; Kathe E. Mazur - RJR Secretary; Philip O'Brien - Harry the Tailor; Susan Ware - Secretary Marge; John Mansfield - Buffalo Bill
Credit
Linda Palermo Donahue - Costume Designer, Glenn Jordan - Director, Patrick Kennedy - Editor, Richard Gibbs - Composer (Music Score), Linda Pearl - Production Designer, Michael Armani - Production Designer, Thomas del Ruth - Cinematographer, Nick Knowland - Cinematographer, Raymond Stark - Producer, Larry Gelbart - Screenwriter, John Helyar - Book Author, Bryan Burrough - Book Author
The film was directed by Glenn Jordan and stars James Garner as F. Ross Johnson, the CEO of R.J.R. Nabisco with plans to buy out the rest of the Nabisco shareholders. In the film, Johnson decides to take his company private after receiving advance news of the likely market failure of the company's smokeless cigarette called Premier.[1]
Johnson's bid for the company is opposed by two of the pioneers of the leveraged buyout, Henry Kravis (who is played by Jonathan Pryce), and his cousin George R. Roberts. Kravis feels betrayed when, after Johnson initially discusses doing the LBO with Kravis, he actually takes the potentially enormous deal to another firm, American Express' former Shearson Lehman Hutton division. Ted Forstmann and his Forstmann Little buyout firm also play a prominent role.
After Kravis and Johnson are unable to reconcile their differences, a bidding war ensues, which Kravis ultimately wins. Although not covered in the film, an unfortunate side effect of the greatly increased buyout price is the creation of an initially unforeseen and distinctly troubling level of debt for the company.
