Surprisingly fun, relaxed attitude for a crime biopic pays off

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2017)

Next up in the lengthy cinematic lineage of based-on-true-stories centered on quirky characters that rise to fortune through shady means and then come crashing down is "American Made." The latest collaboration between Doug Liman and Tom Cruise (who previously made "The Edge of Tomorrow") has a similar fun, energetic pace and goes down smooth — the Budweiser of historical biopics, or perhaps something with a notch more flavor.
Cruise stars as Barry Seal, an airline pilot recruited by the CIA to gather intel and fly contraband to Central and South American countries rebelling against communist regimes. It doesn't take long, however, for Seal to realize he can use their cover and protections to smuggle cocaine for his new acquaintances atop the Columbian drug cartel. Between the CIA's paycheck and his drug money, Seal begins to make more cash than he and his wife, Lucy (Sarah Wright) know what to do with.
Cruise's performance contains his signature fervor, but even though he plays a pilot, his default action hero affect is well-disguised as Seal, a thrill-seeking southerner who isn't smart but who's definitely not stupid. It's a fun role, and Cruise channels his underrated comedy instincts to create a likable character. He only gets a couple different notes to work with in the film, but he hits them.
The film shakes out as about 80 percent entertainment, 20 percent drama (and that's being generous to drama), but either way it's clear why Gary Spinelli's script made the Blacklist of top undeveloped screenplays, especially given the story is steeped in political context but isn't adapted from a singular source. Rather than deliver a two-and-a-half-hour biopic, Spinelli keeps things moving with a lot of pithy dialogue and brief snippets/windows into Seal's experiences (smartly conducted by Liman). We're familiar with this rise-and-fall narrative, so Spinelli opts to give us the highlights and moments that illustrate how over the top and around the law the whole scenario was.
Liman's action instincts (he also directed the first "Bourne" film) serve him well here as he brings a degree of style and excitement, as if at any moment something big could happen. At the least, he provides a great filmmaking lesson in how to effectively make a montage. The film's swift pacing necessitates that skill, but there's also a lot of good stuff being communicated in these scenes as opposed to the typical montage, which usually is little more than a stylized transition from point A to point B.
One central montage occurs once the Seals move to Mena, Arkansas and Barry's operation really takes off. We get bits and pieces of the whole process and one of the film's challenges is to show the accumulation of wealth. There are only so many ways to show this, but Barry's wife getting frustrated when she can't find a pair of heels because every other shoebox is stuffed with money provides a unique detail that really conveys the ridiculousness of their financial situation.
"American Made" strings together these clever moments and that's what makes it such an easy watch. Cruise's non-serious performance also gives us permission to relax, enjoy and appreciate the story's likely exaggerations of the truth because of the perspective they put on the United States' unwise meddling in these countries during the '70s and '80s. It could have easily gone the heavyweight route and still been a great film, but the lightweight approach will give it a longer shelf life with a wider audience.
~Steven C
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