In the 1980s, the U.S. was embroiled in not only the Cold War, but also a war on drugs and conflicts with South American communist insurgents. While the economy boomed, secrets abound at all levels of our government. But underneath it all was one man, airline pilot Barry Seal.
Seal (Tom Cruise) is a bored TWA pilot who participates in low-level smuggling on occasional international flights. He is approached by a mysterious CIA agent (Domhnall Gleeson) to begin working as a government operative, taking illegal weapons to South America to fight the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. However, he is simultaneously recruited by the Colombian drug cartel, including the notorious kingpin Pablo Escobar, to smuggle cocaine back into the U.S. While Seal's wife, Lucy (Sarah Wright), needs some convincing, they are soon rolling in so much cash, they can't hide it all. It's only a matter of time before the feds smell something fishy, and Seal has to decide just how far he's willing to go for his allegiances.
American Made is based on historical events, though I'm not exactly sure how accurate it all is. What is clear, however, is that the 80s was one wild and crazy decade, and there must be no one cooler than Tom Cruise to epitomize the era of flashy smiles and even flashier lifestyles. Knowing the difference between the good guys and bad guys all depends on whose side you're on, and you may even be on both sides if the price is right. Cruise plays Seal's confused bravado as only he can. Yet, he seems oddly out of place in this particular film. One could only wonder what a true character actor could have done with the role, someone not so iconic. The real Seal was a bit of a shlub, so someone like Michael Stuhlbarg, a boozy Ben Mendelsohn, or even a quirky and twitchy performance by Steve Buscemi or John Hawkes would have been more interesting on the screen. Cruise is just too Cruise-y for the down and dirty world of drug- and gun-running. And there is a nagging feeling that producers chose him (or he chose them, perhaps) because there are endless opportunities in American Made to show off Tom's real-life flying abilities. On the other hand, this flick probably wouldn't have gotten wheels up without a big name in the lead.
The film is directed by veteran Doug Liman, whose work is usually stellar. He worked with Cruise in the mind-bending Edge of Tomorrow, helmed the first Bourne movie, and helped define 90s cool behind the camera of Swingers. But the camerawork and storyline of American Made lack a discerning touch. Strange camera set-ups disorient the viewer, giving the impression that a recent film grad snuck into the director's chair on a few days. And the script lacks a coherent arc, instead moving episodically from one event to the next in Seal's crazy adventure. He doesn't really develop as a character, and even without knowing the true story, we all can tell how this chaos must come to an end.
And the chaos is most depicted in the film's awkward unawareness of tone. We are led to believe this may be something of a comedy, with all the ridiculousness going on. But there are long stretches in which humor disappears and the mood is deadly serious. It's unclear what exactly this film is trying to be. If it is meant to be a dramatic expose, this material has been handled better in the documentary form of Cocaine Cowboys. The balance of humor and real life corruption and danger just doesn't work here, as it did almost perfectly in American Hustle, coincidentally also about a national scandal from the 80s.
The historical account is interesting, and Cruise seems to do his best. But he just isn't the right fit here, and the production as a whole seems a bit discombobulated. American Made has its moments of excitement, and though it doesn't crash and burn, it feels like a bumpy descent that ultimately skids off the runway. As always, Tom is Tom, but there's not much else to get on board with.
Grade: C
Seal (Tom Cruise) is a bored TWA pilot who participates in low-level smuggling on occasional international flights. He is approached by a mysterious CIA agent (Domhnall Gleeson) to begin working as a government operative, taking illegal weapons to South America to fight the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. However, he is simultaneously recruited by the Colombian drug cartel, including the notorious kingpin Pablo Escobar, to smuggle cocaine back into the U.S. While Seal's wife, Lucy (Sarah Wright), needs some convincing, they are soon rolling in so much cash, they can't hide it all. It's only a matter of time before the feds smell something fishy, and Seal has to decide just how far he's willing to go for his allegiances.
American Made is based on historical events, though I'm not exactly sure how accurate it all is. What is clear, however, is that the 80s was one wild and crazy decade, and there must be no one cooler than Tom Cruise to epitomize the era of flashy smiles and even flashier lifestyles. Knowing the difference between the good guys and bad guys all depends on whose side you're on, and you may even be on both sides if the price is right. Cruise plays Seal's confused bravado as only he can. Yet, he seems oddly out of place in this particular film. One could only wonder what a true character actor could have done with the role, someone not so iconic. The real Seal was a bit of a shlub, so someone like Michael Stuhlbarg, a boozy Ben Mendelsohn, or even a quirky and twitchy performance by Steve Buscemi or John Hawkes would have been more interesting on the screen. Cruise is just too Cruise-y for the down and dirty world of drug- and gun-running. And there is a nagging feeling that producers chose him (or he chose them, perhaps) because there are endless opportunities in American Made to show off Tom's real-life flying abilities. On the other hand, this flick probably wouldn't have gotten wheels up without a big name in the lead.
The film is directed by veteran Doug Liman, whose work is usually stellar. He worked with Cruise in the mind-bending Edge of Tomorrow, helmed the first Bourne movie, and helped define 90s cool behind the camera of Swingers. But the camerawork and storyline of American Made lack a discerning touch. Strange camera set-ups disorient the viewer, giving the impression that a recent film grad snuck into the director's chair on a few days. And the script lacks a coherent arc, instead moving episodically from one event to the next in Seal's crazy adventure. He doesn't really develop as a character, and even without knowing the true story, we all can tell how this chaos must come to an end.
And the chaos is most depicted in the film's awkward unawareness of tone. We are led to believe this may be something of a comedy, with all the ridiculousness going on. But there are long stretches in which humor disappears and the mood is deadly serious. It's unclear what exactly this film is trying to be. If it is meant to be a dramatic expose, this material has been handled better in the documentary form of Cocaine Cowboys. The balance of humor and real life corruption and danger just doesn't work here, as it did almost perfectly in American Hustle, coincidentally also about a national scandal from the 80s.
The historical account is interesting, and Cruise seems to do his best. But he just isn't the right fit here, and the production as a whole seems a bit discombobulated. American Made has its moments of excitement, and though it doesn't crash and burn, it feels like a bumpy descent that ultimately skids off the runway. As always, Tom is Tom, but there's not much else to get on board with.
Grade: C