AMERICAN MADE – Review

Oliver Stone’s films from the 1990s feel substantially more radical than the anarchic, protest-cinema label that many seemed quick to slap on them. Like Stone’s JFK or NATURAL BORN KILLERS, AMERICAN MADE is a barrage of visual and aural cues slapped together to create that same kinetic spirit that Stone so artfully mastered. Yet, in its attempt to be a Stone-level critique of America, director Doug Liman instead just apes the style without any discerning commentary. It’s like a high-schooler giving the middle finger to the Reagan-era policies without fully understanding the why.

Tom Cruise reunites with his EDGE OF TOMORROW director, Doug Liman, to tell the true story of a pilot who is unexpectedly recruited by the CIA to run one of the biggest covert operations in U.S. history in the late 70s. What starts out as a few trips taking aerial photos of enemy bases in South America, quickly turns into a criminal career transporting cocaine and guns from Panama to the U.S. for both the CIA and one of the most notorious cartels in the world.

One of the boldest and most outrageous performances in Tom Cruise’s career is partially overshadowed by the fact that he’s completely miscast. Sure, the story demands someone that’s charming and can lighten the severity of the subject matter, but I couldn’t help but think how Sam Rockwell could have added some emotional depth to the role. Despite all the sweating and shocked expressions Cruise exhibits from scene to scene, there’s barely a moment of tension where you feel the pressure and severity of what’s at stake.

The moral compass never balances out as the majority of the film seems to glorify his pursuit of making more money by any means possible. Liman has taken Gary Spinelli’s screenplay and spun it in a way to make it as lighthearted and zany as possible. Though the only aspect that’s even remotely funny is the fact that we’re watching one of the most controlling A-list Hollywood stars cut loose and have some fun for once. We’ve seen this type of dark satire before – and done much better with a more talented cast – but the message seems lost amid a style of filmmaking and story that’s focused on excess. The critique of the American dream has never felt so tired.

How the world and the political landscape has been affected by the Iran-Contra Scandal is an interesting story, and one that could have been injected more into this depiction of how normalcy can shift so easily into debauchery. Regardless of such big-name characters like Escobar, Noriega, and Reagan, the bigger picture is ignored to make more room for Cruise’s antics. Despite the energy that the film’s commander in chief has for the subject matter, this American tale is an exhausting exercise in saying so little, so very loudly.

Overall score: 2.5 out of 5

AMERICAN MADE opens in theaters everywhere September 29th