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‘American Made’ (review)

Produced by Brian Grazer, Brian Oliver,
Tyler Thompson, Doug Davison, Kim Roth
Written by Gary Spinelli
Directed by Doug Liman
Starring Tom Cruise, Sarah Wright,
Domhnall Gleeson, Alejandro Edda,
Mauicio Mejia, Jayma Mays, Jesse Plemons,
Lola Kirke, Caleb Landry Jones, Connor Trinneer

 

Whether you like his public persona or not, you have to admit that Tom Cruise has achieved his status as a superstar because of his strong charisma and tenacious dedication.

Sure, he is guilty of occasionally hamming it up to unbearable degrees like most actors with his status do from time to time, but when he is good, he is undeniably very entertaining to watch.

While 2017 has already showed us the hammy Cruise earlier this year when the movie-going public had the misfortune of seeing him do some of his worst work to date in the reboot and supposed franchise starter The Mummy, we are thankfully reminded of his good acting qualities as he spends the entirety of American Made charming both government officials, drug cartel overlords and cinema audiences alike.

Telling the story of Barry Seal, a talented TWA pilot turned CIA operative turned drug smuggler turned DEA informant, American Made depicts Seal’s rise and fall.

The crazy story of Seal’s life is interesting enough in itself, and the film covers his eventful life in broad strokes, swiftly moving from the time he is approached by the CIA to do reconnaissance missions over South America, and eventually collect information from General Noriega, to becoming a smuggler for the Medellin cartel and so on and so forth. The many events are all tied together by cutting back and forth to Barry making video tapes for the authorities to find after the untimely demise Barry Seal eventually came to expect for himself.

American Made has a distinctly playful tone, which makes it enjoyable from start to finish.

The playfulness suits Cruise perfectly, as he clearly has fun with the role, all the while being committed enough to ensure that he also turns in an engaging performance as Barry Seal rather than simply phoning it in, which he has been prone to do in recent years. This approach to the portrayal of the main character therefore serves as a welcome reminder of the playful Cruise of old successes such as Risky Business and Cocktail. The supporting cast is also having a good time with Domhnall Gleeson and Caleb Landry Jones being particularly memorable, and Sarah Wright also spars well with Cruise in her portrayal of Barry’s wife. But make no mistake; this is all about Barry Seal and therefore also all about Tom Cruise, which may thrill longtime fans of the actor, but deter those who strongly dislike him.

However, as fun as the film is as both a recent Cruise vessel as well as an entry into the much-maligned subgenre of biographical cinema, American Made hardly establishes itself as a modern classic.

Fans of other productions concerning the outrageous world of the Medellin cartel such as Narcos are likely to consider American Made a welcome treat until the next season of the Netflix series becomes available, but they will likely agree with the average cinemagoer regarding the film’s lack of substance. While a good, but clearly dramatized portrait is painted of Barry Seal, the film does a number of its supporting characters somewhat of a disservice, simply because its structure and duration does not allow for these characters to be thoroughly fleshed out. This gives the film a shallow feel, which prevents it from rising to the greatness of The Wolf of Wall Street, but it does at least outperform the incredibly lacklustre Gold.

As such, American Made may therefore make for a perfectly entertaining trip to the cinema, but its entertainment value is rather superficial, ultimately providing nothing more than a fleeting, cinematic rush akin to the fleeting, euphoric rush associated with the substances that sealed the fate of drug smuggler extraordinaire Barry Seal.

 

Verdict: 7 out of 10

 

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