Smuggler's Rhapsody

Rating: 9/10 (10 October 2017)

It's been advertised as another dopey Tom Cruise action movie. In reality, American Made is the true story of Barry Seal given the full GoodFellas treatment. Yes, this film is in the tradition of such Scorsese inspired biopics of the past decade. It shares the political intrigue of War Dogs, the border smuggling decadence of Blow, the high octane energy of The Wolf of Wall Street and the comedic chops of The Big Short. It's deja-vu for sure, but who the hell cares? Real life is a Scorsese movie. Deal with it.
You will sit back and giggle with glee as this is, evidently, the best thing Tom Cruise has been involved with in years. He soars as Barry Seal. He captures the "aw-shucks" naiveté of a southern airline pilot way in over his head in a massive CIA conspiracy that at least 4 U.S. Presidents were complicit in. American Made takes no prisoners as it mocks political corruption and hypocrisy. But like GoodFellas and all the biopics after it, it tells the timeless story of just how far man will go to achieve unspeakable riches and the fatal cost of it all. Doug Liman makes the film fast and loose, especially on the cutting room floor. Between shaky, documentary style cinematography are countless archival clips from news reports, presidential speeches, pop-culture and even mock VHS recordings of Barry himself. Everything moves at lightning speed. This is a biopic for the age of the smartphone. You won't be distracted by anything. Fall 2017 has already proved to be a comeback season for moviegoers and American Made has already fallen under the radar in favor of other great films. Don't miss it.