The year’s most unlikely comedy is actually pretty freakin’ funny.
It’ll certainly be rather interesting to see how audiences will respond to American Made, the new real-life comedy starring Tom Cruise. The film takes one of the biggest movie stars of all time and puts him through the ringer in terms of character. Instead of Ethan Hunt or Jack Reacher, American Made gives a definite anti-hero for the actor to play; a man with very few reasons to care about or champion, let alone even find interest in at times. Such an observation may seem trivial, yet it greatly speaks to the world director Doug Liman is exploring here and what it says about the way things are done between powerful organizations as well as the ability to get swept up in the middle of it.
American Made tells the true story of Barry Seal (Cruise); a Louisiana airline pilot happily married to the beautiful, feisty Lucy (Sarah Wright). Despite a steady job with TWA, Barry longs for more adventure in his mundane life. That adventure comes in the form of CIA Agent Schaffer (Domnhall Gleeson), who offers him a deal to do reconnaissance work for them. Shortly thereafter, during one such mission, Barry is forcibly taken to meet Jorge Ochoa (Alejandro Edda), who offers him a deal which sees Barry become the official drug runner for the Medellín Cartel during the early-mid 1980s.
It might be something of an overstatement to call American Made a cautionary tale, yet it’s hard to think of it as much else with the drive and hunger of its main character never ceasing until it’s all too late. Right from the start, the film solidly operates as a highly cynical take on the American dream. Through Barry’s “delivery service,” which would eventually play a key role in the Iran-Contra scandal, him and Lucy’s life becomes grander than either could have ever imagined, which included luxurious trappings and so much money, that there’s literally no conceivable place to hide all of it. To the film’s credit, American Made manages to pair the grit and the glamour side by side, showing how such attainment of wealth requires maintenance, tenacity and the act of continuously keeping one’s guard up. For a time however it is the American dream realized, but at a steep price. It’s someone at the bottom being at the top for a moment; and they know it’s only for a moment as everyone involved, especially Barry, knows how it will all end.
Although the plot of American Made is far from audience-friendly, despite the presence of its star, the film has plenty to offer in the way of dark comedy with every joke coming at the most unlikely of times. The moment where Barry is enjoying a drink with Jorge at his compound after solidifying their deal is screamingly funny as law enforcement can be seen invading the premises, leading Jorge to take out a gun as he casually waves it around and tells Barry everything is alright and to sit back and finish his drink. Likewise, the scene where the results of Barry’s exploits lead to multiple agencies busting in on his private airport proves equally hilarious as each of the agency heads are looking puzzled at everyone’s presence before proceeding to argue over who gets to bring their prized suspect in. Liman has always been an expert at dark comedy as evidenced by Go And Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The director knows how to take the darkness of society and hone in on the absurdly funny aspects contained within it. It’s this connection with comedy which not only makes American Made palatable, but also hysterical.
In a rare comedic turn, Cruise lets himself let loose, letting himself look foolish as he shows once again how skilled he is at both timing and delivery. The actor rarely lets himself be as carefree as he does here, managing to find a twinge of humor in even the darkest of moments. The star is well-supported by Wright, who more than holds her own against the superstar, Gleeson who, like Cruise, goes for broke in a turn that’s both flashy and restrained. The same praise sadly doesn’t extend to the wasted Jesse Plemons as the local sheriff and Caleb Landry as Lucy’s brother J.B., who finds himself saddled with one of the most insufferable characters of the year.
At times, American Made cannot help but feel a little disjointed with regards to its narrative. However this is to be expected given the filmmaker at the helm and the understandably off-the-wall journey of the movie’s central figure. And yet, all of elements, no matter how larger-than-life they tend to be, work regardless due to the willingness of the movie’s leading man and the sheer absurdity of the whole affair. Oftentimes films dealing in periods of American history can be considered the movie equivalent of eating your vegetables in the eyes of audiences. Yet American Made feels like anything but by the way it takes this one specific piece of history and turns it on its head in the most explosive of ways.
