American Made

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This is the story about pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise); the man who would take flight and help to produce the biggest drug operation in American history. He is met by CIA case officer Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson), who reveals that he's aware that Barry has been smuggling cigars on his flights. Being that he's so good at what he does, Schafer brings him in to fly recon missions for the CIA with a small camera attached to a plane for fly-overs.

Later, Barry is asked to up his game a little by being a courier between the CIA and a man named General Manuel Noriega (Alberto Ospino). It's with this that things start to escalate, as he soon becomes a drug runner for the cartel. Soon, he's caught in a rather confusing situation in which he's working for the CIA, the cartel, and eventually more important areas, while basically everyone else of authority is after him, seemingly as public enemy number one.

Meanwhile, Seal has to deal with a growing family at home and his wife, Lucy (Sarah Wright) who, hesitant at first, soon decides to help and support him when she sees how much cash is rolling in. A sort of breath of fresh air from the typical wife-figure in these features. Unlike someone like Skyler from 'Breaking Bad', where she hates the whole situation, Lucy sort of gets in on it. It seems to be an adventure for her more than a total inconvenience. And yet she's still a strong female character who doesn't just roll over and let things happen right away.

This was unfortunately one of those movies where I was a little more confused by it than able to fully enjoy it for what it was. You can basically get the gist of it all, but there is a lot of back and forth going on. It's the kind of thing I might wanna see again though, as it was still entertaining enough. It has the potential to grow on me.

Now, Mr. Cruise seems to catch a lot of hate lately as his movies all seem to be the same. I think it's safe to say that you see him in a different way here though. It's sort of a role that seemed to be meant for his personality, much like 'Jerry Maguire' was, and it's not just him running and doing stunts the whole time... By the way, I personally give him a TON of credit for doing those stunts! It's admirable that he's so gung-ho about pleasing his audience by making things look real. But back to the point, this fits Cruise in the same way Big Daddy fit Nicholas Cage in 'Kick-Ass'.

I dunno for sure where this one is gonna end up in the end though. For me, it might be a little more forgettable than for others. All the elements of a great movie are here, and it is entertaining. But is it Oscar-worthy, or is it a fun retelling of a true story? I suppose time will tell. I left the movie with the desire to eventually rewatch it to get more out of it, so I guess we'll see what happens. Otherwise, I was entertained, but not rushing back.

3/5

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