Tom Cruise

Domhnall Gleeson

Sarah Wright

Jesse Plemons

Caleb Landry Jones

Lola Kirke

Jayma Mays

Alejandro Edda

Benito Martinez

E. Roger Mitchell

Jed Rees

Fredy Yate

Mauricio Mejía

Robert Farrior

Morgan Hinkleman

Alberto Ospino

Felipe Bernedette

Daniel Lugo

Jayson Warner Smith

William Mark McCullough

April Billingsley

Lauren Boyd

Lauren Revard

Marcus Hester

Mike Pniewski

Frank Licari

Alex Collins

Scott Poythress

Connor Trinneer

Alpha Trivette

Kevin L. Johnson

DeVere Jehl

Emilio Sierra

Leon Lamar

Tony Guerrero

Maria Howell

Darla Delgado

Justice Leak

Robert Pralgo

Mickey Sumner

Daniel Thomas May

Chloe Swan Sparwath

Alex Quarles

Trip McCarthy

Zachary Powell

Daniel Diaz

Byron Wigfall

Matt Mercurio

Carlos Lopez Jr.

Jairo Ordóñez

Jeff Olsen

Stephen Conroy

Juan Esteban Ramírez Toro

Lara Grice

Sharon Conley

Chris Gann

Johnny Otto

Kayla Perkins

Michael Mercaldi

Dan Southworth

Bill Billions

Ronald Reagan

Muhammad Ali

Nancy Reagan

Doug Liman

Gary Spinelli

César Charlone

Amy Lynn Tuttle

Joey Box

Ray Angelic

Doug Davison

Brian Grazer

Brian Oliver

Kim Roth

Tyler Thompson

Mindy Marin

Dan Weil

Patricia Arango

Christina Eunji Kim

Justin O'Neal Miller

María Fernanda Muñoz

Rachel Nowik

Alanna Smith

Douglas Womack

Kris Peck

Elizabeth Cummings

Kelley Burney

Kym Barrett

Jenny Gering

Hayden Bilson

Jody Blose

Frédéric North

Jim Garland

Alan D. Purwin

Ianthe Jeanne Dugan

Todd Kasow

Tom Kramer

Annette Kudrak

Gabe Hilfer

Julianne Jordan

Mercedes Cook

Thom Heyer

Bridget Shields

Abby Walton

Chelsea Staebell

Camila Olarte

Aimee Campolucci

Pam Aaron

Wendy Talley

Fran Beaudry

Libby Culligan

Julian Grijalba

Alexyz Danine Kemp

Olivia Vestina Torres

Natasha Romanow

Tom Schmitz

Dylan Goss

Christine Oeurn

Christopher TJ McGuire

Kelly Clear

Kevin Gazdik

C. Ashley Sudge

Michael Duarte

James Selph

Jerry Chief Parker

Tyler Childs

Tony Murima

Tommy Donald

David James

Adam Meadows

Edward Button

Eliza Morse

Cristen Clark

Killian Clear

Marie Larkin

Jay Ferrara

Alice Moore

Teresa Morgan 

Sarah Monzani

Olga Turrini Bernardoni

Anthony Brooks

Jamie Cline

Laura Dandridge

Leigh Ann Yandle

Kevin Scott

Bryan T. Evans

Grant Lynch

Greg Takacs

Chris Hamilton

Jae Won D. Lee

Jennifer Ramos

Justin Rogers-CdeBaca

Michael Tanton

Sara Woomer

Matt Mayer

Jaime Fok

Gayle Busby

Sarah McMurdo

Eric J. Robertson

Justin Ball

Craig Calvert

Scott Riopelle

David Fletcher

Thomas Kittle

Action

Comedy

Crime

Drama

American Made

Universal Pictures

Cross Creek Pictures

Imagine Entertainment

Vendian Entertainment

Quadrant Pictures

Hercules Film Fund

United States of America

Luxembourg

_American Made_ is a peculiar film, but a very enjoyable one. It takes a playful, satirical look at the origins of the notorious 'Iran-Contra' affair, through the eyes of pilot Barry Seal. Along the ways we get thrills, laughs, astonishing (true-life) twists and turns and some vivid characters.

Even if you followed the public Iran-Contra scandal, you may be unfamiliar with the story of Seal, who started running guns for the CIA years before the familiar public scandal erupted. American Made is a fast, breezy, amoral look at the ins and outs of a covert operation made to go wrong. There's no judgment here; in fact, we come to like Seal's crazy make-it-up-as-you-go-along approach to flying, to crime and to life in general.

Tom Cruise is perfectly cast as the cocky, reckless pilot. I've done a fair bit of flying, and I've met one or two hot-shots like (in a lesser degree) the one Cruise portrays. Cruise has lately been playing parts that are much too young for him (e.g. _Jack Reacher: Never Go Back_), but his age works well in this case. In a way, Seal is a guy fighting to stay young.

If there's one there's one thing to regret about _American Made_ it's that it carefully avoids most of the political backdrop. We're told that the Sandinistas were evil Russian-backed Communists, which is undoubtedly what the CIA would have said at the time. (Hindsight is more ambiguous.) We're shown, just barely, how the Reagan administration evolved a cockeyed criminal scheme for its own ends, but the film ends where the public Iran-Contra scandal began. Ollie North is a presence in only one or two shots.

Nonetheless, Barry Seal's personal story arc is wrapped up perfectly. The ending doesn't let anyone off the hook, but it does leave us questioning our own moral position, as we're inevitably drawn to like and admire Barry Seal, in spite of his total lack of scruples or judgment.

Doug Liman directs with his usual flair. He's had a remarkably varied career, ranging from spy-action (_Bourne Identity_) to superheroes (_Jumper_) to political drama (_Fair Game_) to straight-up sci-fi (_Edge of Tomorrow_). _American Made_ stands up very well in that catalog. It's a fun film, a thoughtful film, an unusual film... though its darker side may not appeal to every taste.

It's always kind of fun seeing Tom Cruise in a role where he has to actually act and not just do the action phone-in-emotion thing...because he is capable of being a decent actor and not just a pretty-boy action star.

And, in this he was a decent actor.

And the result is a very enjoyable and fun period piece that has just as much drama as it does action and comedy, which allows the time dedication to slip buy unnoticed.

It's actually pretty rare that you can watch a film this long and not really feel like you're watching a long film.

The only real downside is that the end hits you a bit abruptly, a bit too abruptly for the build up...but who cares when the build-up is this enjoyable.