Solid crime-comedy yarn

Rating: 6/10 (26 August 2017)

Based on a story that would be completely unbelievable if it wasn't true, this crime-comedy yarn follows commercial pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) as he undertakes work for the CIA, the Medellin Cartel, and the White House. Often all at once. Not taking itself too seriously—murder, drug smuggling and civil wars all casually occurring with little on screen consequence—this flick is operating in strange moral territory where our protagonist is presented as a kinda-hero living the American dream. It coasts by largely on charm and light-hearted hijinks, with director Doug Liman delivering a spate of stylish filmmaking flourishes to create an exuberant atmosphere of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll that glosses over the moral murkiness. It helps that Cruise is in top gear; his Barry is excitable but level-headed, devious but likable, jokey but intelligent. It's a nice return to form after the excruciatingly bad The Mummy earlier this year. Yet overall the film doesn't quite elevate from good to great. From a comedy perspective it's amusing but lacking laugh-out-loud moments, as a thriller it's occasionally tense without being nail-biting, and as a biopic it's interesting yet never enthralling. A solid truth-is-stranger-than-fiction tale despite failing to truly excel, American Made is a fun and breezy viewing best served by lowered expectations.