Tom Cruise regains his form in an 18+ film.

In "American Made," the 55-year-old actor plays a shocking character who spent years smuggling illegal substances into the United States.

American Made (Barry Seal) is a biographical film about the controversial figure Barry Seal (played by Tom Cruise). The story begins in 1978, when Seal – then a civilian pilot – catches the eye of a CIA officer named Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson) for his exceptional flying skills. Schafer offers him the job of secretly transporting US government weapons to Nicaragua to support rebel groups there.

Upon arrival, Seal realized the US-backed forces lacked fighting spirit. Sensing an opportunity for profit, he acquired drugs from Colombian gangs and transported them back to the US. Thanks to maps provided by the CIA, Seal knew the routes that could avoid border patrols.

After a few years, the smuggling operation peaked, making the pilot incredibly wealthy, to the point where he didn't even have enough room to hide his cash. US authorities began to suspect him. Subsequent events placed Barry Seal within a larger conspiracy, involving even Ronald Reagan – the then-President.

Tom Cruise plays a drug trafficker.

Director Doug Liman succeeded in his intention to create a political satire.Discerning viewers can recognize this right from the film's title, "American Made." Barry Seal is a product of Reagan's interventionist policies, and then becomes a victim of them. The bags of drugs smuggled into the US are a consequence of this superpower's attempts to sow instability in another country.

Throughout the film, Barry Seal relentlessly exploits loopholes in the US government for his own gain. With his recklessness, the pilot achieves successive great victories and builds a vast empire.At this point, the character is a metaphor for American materialism, with a life of luxury and the belief that money can settle everything.Even with Seal handcuffed, his confidence remained unwavering. "I could give each of you a Cadillac, and I'll be out of here in a few minutes," he taunted the law enforcement officers.

Barry Seal was surrounded by a group of rebels.

The filmmakers used handheld cameras and fine-grained image noise to make the film look like a documentary. The camera shakes more intensely each time Barry Seal is in danger, evident in the scenes where he encounters the rebel group or when being pursued by aircraft. This technique increases the tension, making the audience feel as if they are accompanying the character.

The pseudo-documentary style suits the film's narrative – intertwining factual and fictional events. In many scenes, Barry Seal's character recounts his own life in a flippant tone, explaining politics from his perspective. Through numerous comedic moments, the film depicts America's disastrous failure in its expansionist ambitions, which subsequently leads to shocking scandals being exposed internationally.

Arthur L. Liman – the director's father – was the lead lawyer in the case back then and helped him obtain the materials to recreate this period.Besides President Reagan, the script cleverly incorporates many real-life figures such as Bill Clinton, George Bush, and drug lord Pablo Escobar, making it interesting for viewers.

Tom Cruise piloted the plane himself.

Tom Cruise appears in almost every scene and is the heart and soul of American Made.After being criticized inJack Reacher: Never Go Back(2016) andThe Mummy(2017), the 55-year-old actor rediscovered his form with edgy characters.Full of schemes and deceit.

When not constrained by the rigid image of a hero, Tom Cruise acts freely, as if he's just having fun.The character laughs in the face of danger, is nonchalant when confronted by authorities, and maintains their cunning until the end of their journey.In addition to his dramatic acting, Tom also performed some familiar stunts. The scene where the actor directly piloted the plane taking off is reminiscent of Top Gun (1986) - the film that made his name.

The film's drawback is its anticlimactic ending. After the climax regarding Barry Seal's fate, the film concludes abruptly, leaving several previously laid-out political storylines unresolved. Aside from Barry Seal, the surrounding characters are rather bland, resulting in a lack of diversity in human narratives compared to American Hustle—a film on the same theme—or other masterpieces of Martin Scorsese's biographies.

According to VNE