Starring: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Caleb Landry Jones.
Director: Doug Liman
Release date: 25th August 2017
It’s the late 70’s and Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) is a Trans World Airlines pilot, who is at the top of his game. One day, he is approached by a man who claims he works for the C.I.A. who makes him a tantalising job offer. He is given his own plane and is told that all he needs to do is take photos from the air of some insurgents in foreign countries. After some thought, he walks away from his life as a commercial pilot and begins his work for his new employers. It’s not long before he is approached by a Columbian drugs cartel, who asks Barry to do something for them while he is flying. They want him to transport drugs and offer him two thousand dollars per 1lb that he delivers. The offer is just too good to refuse and soon Barry is double-jobbing. It’s not long before everything goes pear-shaped and Barry is arrested. He is severely beaten in jail and thankfully soon a familiar face turns up to help him out. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay for his freedom and things are about to get much much worse. Can Barry dodge all the Government Agencies that are after his head, or will another more dangerous force get to him first?
Based on true events, ‘American Made’ tells the story of Adler Berriman ‘Barry’ Seal and his life as a drugs/ arms smuggler and money launderer. He lived with his wife and young children in Louisiana and soon, as things began to escalate, he had to move his family to a safer location in Mena, Arkansas. The more ‘jobs’ he took on, the more dangerous his life became. Barry ended up becoming an informant to try and save his own skin but unfortunately things didn’t work out as planned..
I really love Tom Cruise as an actor and will pretty much watch anything he’s in. This movie feels a little bit off the beaten track from other things he’s done of late. He’s kind of become the archetypal action-hero, with his Mission Impossible and Jack Reacher movies and this is something a bit more unusual. The fact that the story is based on actual events makes you look at things with a whole new perspective. This guy actually existed.. what he did, actually happened.. We’ve all heard the stories of how ruthless Pablo Escobar was and Barry was working for him and the rest of the Medellín drugs Cartel. Don’t think I would have been brave enough to get involved with these very dangerous men.
Plenty of action and a great soundtrack makes this one to watch. Tom Cruise is great in the lead role and I look forward to seeing his next offering. Just don’t go into this movie expecting loads of action.. there’s a good bit of it but the movie is a lot more about the story of what happened to Barry Seal.
Overall: 8/10
