The Men Who Built America

Well done except for the made-for-TV, commercial ready breaks that allow way too many recaps. This series' runtime could easily be cut down by a third or more. They show key moments of future stories before even getting to them. So you know you know the punchline before telling the joke, so to speak. That is frustrating. They really have a lot of substance and production value to be proud of. Too bad they make the viewer out to be a forgetful fool.

I was expecting the usual type series you get for series' like this which is the usual 'they are good, but it's kind of boring and hammy'. Not at all the case on this one. First of all, very interesting. I learned so much that I had no clue about before. The acting is actually pretty good, but what really drives this series home is the terrific narration, the fantastic editing, and the magnificent sound and music that ties along with it.

This series is proof that if you have some patience, talent and money to put into the production, the possibilities are then limitless. And this production understands the great importance and power of a well thought out sound and music to play in the background. At times you feel like you're watching different mafia families go at it with each other. That you're watching the high powered cartels dish it out and it absorbs you in to where you don't want to stop watching. This is a brilliant series to watch and I was very pleasantly surprised by it.

Great historic documentary with actors dramatising the events. However, one thing really annoyed me is how every 10 minutes or so there is a recap! It's probably made for the US where they have commercial breaks every ten minutes (!) but why the constant recap??

Pretty entertaining series, with an odd mix of commentators. Sort of a pot-boiler as historical documentaries go. We know it's more Hollywood than history when Donald Trump, Mark Cuban, Donny Deutsch, Steve Wynn, Russell Simmons, Jim Cramer, and Jerry Weintraub are consulted to comment on the history of American business. Alan Greenspan, good. Jack Welch, Carly Fiorina, Steve Case -- okay. Can't go wrong with Campbell Scott narrating.

Watching this again nearly 10 years later...the ultimate devotional to capitalism!!! More should have been said about how these men built their fortunes on the backs of workers with low wages, long hours, no healthcare, no retirement or job safety rules. That would have been more accurate. They are not as admirable as we think.

The disaster at Johnstown showed that.