My Personal Thoughts on "American Made"
Based on a true story, American Made was something of a sleeper hit for the never-aging Tom Cruise. Released just last year, it brought the events of a certain Barry Seal into the media spotlight. With the plethora of movies which I got to see in 2017, this one managed to slip through the net. So I was real glad to finally get around to checking it out this afternoon. With a top Hollywood A-lister carrying this title, did the movie live up to the same high standards?
Barry Seal *(played by Tom Cruise) was an airline pilot for TWA back in the late 70’s until one day finding himself face to face with a CIA operative by the name of **Monty Schafer (played by Domhnall Gleeson). Seal is soon persuaded to run a series of secret reconnaissance missions over Central America to snap some shots from above and bring them back home. Given his timely nature and solid consistently good work, the CIA escalate his services by requesting his assistance as an undercover courier for arms. Though during one particular mission, he comes into contact with the tough, brutal and untouchable Medellin cartel, one of their main members being headed up by no less than Pablo Escobar himself (played by Mauricio Mejia). Now running two covert operations simultaneously, it doesn’t take long until things for Barry Seal start to take a rapid nosedive.
This movie was a bit of mixed bag for me. Though I’d say things lean more towards the positive side. Once again, Tom Cruise provides the backbone of the movie. With his debonair persona and likeable on-screen presence, he certainly allows the entertainment value to shine through. Though on the flip side, I thought the general overtone of the movie was a little “too” cheery considering the subject matter. Sure, there were some moments of tension as our main protagonist was dropped into many a precarious situation. However, you never really had any feeling that the on-screen threats were real enough to convey those same feelings to it’s audience. Maybe it was the fast paced drive of the movie or the light-hearted characterisation of the actors. But, as a serious film goes, this is anything but. And considering the involvement of such famously notorious figures of our times, you would have thought the director may have opted for a darker movie overall. But that’s not to say what you see is not entertaining. If viewed from a purely popcorn-esque thrill ride, it does deliver to a certain degree.
I mentioned the pacing of the movie and that was another surprise I did not expect. Each narrative piece flits to the next with hardly a moment to breath. Such as different geographical settings and subsequent years being pushed from one timeline to the next. Those with a short attention span need not apply here. Though this also had the added effect of making the movie appear shorter than it actually is, which some may say is a big compliment to its engagement factor. Because boredom is the last of this movie’s issue, believe me. Even the family of Barry Seal come over as somewhat quirky caricatures of what their real-life counterparts would most likely be. The funky soundtrack blaring in the background and occasional genial comedic fluff also play an important part in that department, I feel.
American Made is an entertaining enough ride which one would feel "should" have been a differently styled movie altogether. But isn’t. The weird contrast is evident right the way through it’s almost two hour running time. So if you’re after a “light” watch that involves drugs, isolation and death. Well, this should do you nicely then.
My Verdict: (7.5/10)
Absolutely loved the movie!!
Another movie I haven´t watched so far, thanks for the suggestions @ezzy bro!
It's worth a watch, my friend! A little bit of me thinks I was a little harsh on this movie but at the end of the day, I didn't think it was bad by any stretch of the imagination. Opinions, right? :)
I am a huge fan of the programme Narcos so it was great to see the story of the pilot in more depth. The whole situation just couldn't have been made up, truth is so much stranger than fiction! It really does open your eyes as to how the authorities view things as a big picture rather than laws. A very good film!
I heard some great things about Narcos so will definitely be checking that one out. In fact, it seems that the tome of this TV series is what I was expecting in this movie. But I'm glad you liked it as I certainly did too. :)
Yes, the Movie tone didn't sit quite right with the storyline tbh, but I still enjoyed it. I think Narcos will be a good watch for you, as long as you don't mind reading subtitles, or you are fluent in spanish lol Subtitles don't bother me, you kind of get used to it and don't notice it after a while if you get into the programme.
I just watched this with the wife last week and we both loved it! I enjoyed him "laughing in the face of death" in his own way that was portrayed here.
No matter the seriousness of the situation, he took it in stride. You gotta give the man credit, if the events and character portrayed are true, that he had some 'cojones'.
Being fired upon by rebel soldiers and the engine failing - no prob, I got this shit.
Staring down the barrel of a gun pointed at his face, haha - I got this shit.
Heck, his only problem was finding places to hide his cash! :D
I would have to personally bump up the rating here to a 8.5/10
Lol, it did enjoy it, bro. Just thought they "could" have given it a slighter more serious edge. Again, not to say it was a bad movie whatsoever (hence a rating of 7.5 from me) but considering what Barry was being put through and the build up of life-threatening situations to himself and his family, I thought he took it all a little too well. Glad to see you enjoyed it though. That's what counts after all's said and done! :)
I never said ya didn't like it though! 😛
Great review buddy, totally agree it was too light heated in certain scene given the situation and the people that Barry Seal was dealing with
Thanks, @modusoperandi! But with it's few niggling issues, I still think it was worth the watch and had the stellar Tom Cruise in the driving seat. Thank you for stopping by, my bro... :)
I also think the character of Pablo Escobar could have been portrayed better, similar to how Netflix portrays him in the Narcos series.
Thank you for sharing. I'll watch a movie enough for Tom Cruise play . I have not read the entire post. because I do not like spoilers. but I did not see the movie. I'm going to watch now. thanks again. @ezzy
I've been carefully not to add any spoilers in "any" of my posts about movies. So you should be OK to read through it safely, lol. But I do hope you enjoy it. :)
I watched the movie. Thank you very much for showing me this movie. after that I will read your post safely. for the spoiler does not contain :))) @ezzy
It's hard not to like Tom Cruise - despite his best efforts to be disliked in real life - as he stars in so many great films. This is one I have on my to watch list since release. From your review I can see it fits in with expectations. From a purely entertainment perspective it seems like it delivers.
Thanks for another great review.
I'm with you 100% on your opinions of Tom Cruise. He continues to wow audiences members even though you think certain factors of hi private life would run contrary to that. However, I urge you to give this movie a go. It's an entertaining watch for what it is.
Thank you for the kind feedback, man. :)
I enjoyed the movie. I find it a bit disturbing that it was based on a true story: like this actually happened, and the CIA was arming some gangs. The movie, however, was good. I got emotional somewhere through.
Yes, I know what you mean. The fact that there was collusion between the CIA and some "gangster cartels" threw me a little too. But hey, if that's happening on the "outside", god knows what the "inside" looks like! :)
The thought of the "inside" and what it might look like is scary. These people get away with a lot of things. A lot.
Hmmm, I'm not sure if I watched this movie or not but it definitely seems familiar...
It involves the Medellin cartel and my boy Pablo though, that's a good enough reason to watch it :D
Bear in mind though, this movie is more of a light-hearted affair so don't expect anything showcasing more of their darker side.
This was a fantastically-written overview. Awesome job! It's nice to read an authentic move review here on steemit. Looking forward to more of your writing!
Many thanks, @underwaterwoman. Much appreciated. :)