American Made by Doug Liman (review)

Some people can never get past the image of Tom Cruise dancing around in his skivvies in 1983’s Risky Business. Granted, that was 34 years ago; he was only 21 then (he’s 55 now). In my view, Cruise was at his best in comedic or semi-comedic roles.

Cruise makes a sort of return to form in American Made, directed by Doug Liman, a story based on the real-life exploits of CIA contract pilot Barry Seal, and does a remarkably competent job of it. He captures Seal’s blend of frat-boy insouciance, confusion, and fuck-it-all willingness to fly by the seat of his pants— literally. As Seal, he doesn’t seem to know what is going on most of the time but is willing to throw caution to the wind and see what happens. The results are usually—but not always—stupendous: sometimes comedic, occasionally tragic, but rarely a dull moment.

Despite Cruise’s comedic style, American Made should by no means be categorized as a comedy, although it does pack plenty of laughs. Sarah Wright is perfect as Seal’s bleach-blond, former-cheerleader-turned-KFC-order-clerk wife. One of the most hilarious scenes in the film is where Seal asks her if she trusts him: “Fuck no!” comes her disarming retort. She of course has every reason in the world not to.

Impressively, both actors get their respective southern accents right without laying it on too thick. That’s more of an accomplishment for Cruise than for Wright, who hails from Kentucky.

Another compelling aspect of the movie is its historical accuracy. It captures Seal’s story—based Shaun Attwood’s book of the same title—fairly accurately, pulling no punches: Even that icon of US conservatism, Ronald Reagan, gets skewered. However, George H.W. Bush, a prime suspect in Attwood’s book, gets a free pass, probably because he is still around and still carries a lot of clout. None the less, American Made could hardly be accused of dishing pro-American propaganda like so much of Hollywood’s output featuring the likes of George Clooney or Ben Affleck.

Thankfully conspicuous in their absence are the seemingly obligatory car chases and explosions that are de rigeur; on the other hand, there are certainly enough riveting airplane antics and near-crashes alongside plentiful gales of gunfire to satisfy most action fans.