Review of American Made (2017) by Anonymous User — 25 Nov 2017

Well they don't make them like this anymore. American Made is a straight-forward biopic courtesy of Bourne Identity director, Doug Liman. It follows the unfortunately true story of Barry Seal, who acted as a courier and pilot for the CIA, delivering information to General Manuel Noriega and arms to Contra rebels.

And of course, he seals his own doom by shipping cocaine for Pablo Escobar and his Medellin cartel on the side. There is a fair bit of ironic commentary on the American dream, as Seal and his family grow monstrously wealthy off their patronage of both American intelligence and Columbian drug lords.

American Made also has some nasty things to say about the Reagan administration and its policy in Latin America which should come as no surprise. Tom Cruise has been... well, cruising on autopilot for the last few years and to see him so engaged and using his often-forgotten character acting skills was a treat.

Look for strong supporting performances by Domhnall Gleeson and Sarah Wright. American Made has a persistent energy that drives the movie forward and manages to remain funny and entertaining despite its dark subject matter.

It's the kind of mid-budget star vehicle that Cruise used to excel at and the kind of picture that dominated offseason months at theaters. Them days is gone.