American Made

Tom Cruise rebounds from his terrible performance in The Mummy with one of his best performances ever in Director Doug Liman’s slick American Made.

Based on a true story, this is the consummate example of what happens when one “lies down with dogs.”  Pilot Barry Seal (Cruise) is recruited by the CIA to take reconnaissance photos of Latin American countries.  Then, based on his success, Barry is recruited by Drug Cartel leaders (Elejandro Edda, Fredy Yate Escobar, Mauricio Mejia) to transport drugs to the U.S.

For a while, Barry and his wife (Sarah Wright) live so well that there are bags and suitcases of money filling their home, buried in their yard and housed in several banks in their Arkansas town.  But, inevitably, things turn south.

Writer Gary Spinelli has beautifully crafted this story and Editor Andrew Mondshein has, masterfully, brought together Cinematographer César Charlone’s images along with actual newscasts from the era. 

I give American Made a 4.5 out of 5.