American Made / "Barry Seal: King of Smuggling"
American Made / "Barry Seal: King of Smuggling"
Genre action movie, biopic
Directed by Doug Lyman
Starring Tom Cruise (Barry Seale), Sarah Wright (Lucy Seale), Donal Gleeson (Monty Schafer), Mausio Maggia (Pablo Escobar), Jama Mays (Dana Sibota) and others.
Studios Cross Creek Pictures, Universal Pictures
Year of construction 2017
Americanmademovie.net, IMDb
Doug Lyman knows how and likes to shoot gunmen. It is to this director that we owe the appearance of such masterpieces as The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Edge of Tomorrow. It turns out that his black comedies are quite good, but only with biographical films is the situation so-so. On the other hand, American Made is primarily a black comedy and action movie, and then a biopic. Although in the life and career of the pilot-smuggler Barry Seal there were already quite steep episodes, Doug Lyman decided to slightly embellish the history of the Force, bringing him to higher spheres. It turned out perfectly, so we will not criticize the director too much for historical and biographical inaccuracies.
Barry Seal, who received a flight license at age 15, was a born pilot. He became one of the youngest FACs in TWA, a smuggler in the CIA, a drug dealer, a secret millionaire, an undercover agent. But, of course, a simple pilot, though enjoying the trust of the heads of the Medellin cartel, did not take part in closed parties of drug lords, and the UBN informer did not meet with the first persons of the state in the White House. But without these episodes, like without landing a cocaine-filled plane in a sleepy suburb somewhere in Louisiana, American Made would have turned out somewhat fresh and not so insane. On the other hand, it's not at all clear why the film's authors did not beat another episode of Force's life when he forged a sick leave for the TWA to free time for an illegal C-4 delivery to Cuban rebels across Mexico.
However, I repeat, although American Made is based on the real biography of Barry Sil, many moments remain on the conscience of the directors. After all, first of all American Made, with its love for VHS, documentary inserts, the stylization of a frame for 80's film, the music of the 80s is a film-nostalgia for that era. Epoch, which grew up himself the director of the film, and the performer of the main role. Which now, when viewed from the 21st century, seems to people of that generation to be simpler, more honest, more alive than it really was. Nastalgia for times when the girls were prettier, and the grass is green. When we were young, the very same American dream seemed so accessible.
Actually, the authors of the film position Barry Sila as a man who fulfilled his dream and does not regret anything. He helped his country, earned millions, lived in clover, did what he loved most - flew. Flied as he wanted and where he wanted. At the same time, in the cinematic Force, gangster courage and pride for one's own country quietly get along with each other. He considers himself a true patriot, despite the fact that he helped to supply drugs to the American youth.
If you did not live in the 80s of the last century, then you can not appreciate half the jokes and cameo in the film. For the born in the 90's the Sandinistas, the contras, the Iran-Contra scandal do not say anything. Like names like General Noriega, Colonel North, Daniel Ortega, etc. But about each of these people you can shoot a separate film. Yes there, in American Made in any way involved as many as five (!) American presidents, and some of them live and live up to now. Especially good is the very young George Bush Jr., whom Seal meets in the White House.
By mood, picture and music, American Made very much like The Nice Guys. And adventurer Barry Seal is close to the spirit of the detective story from that tape. Well, nostalgia for the 80th seems to be growing, so we will see more than one film about that period.
Is it worth going to American Made? Definitely. The film turned out though biographically inaccurate, but very bright and memorable. And although Tom Cruise recently plays in all the pictures of the same hero-adventurer, here it is quite appropriate. In addition to the fact that Cruz is easier than the real Barry Force is almost twice and at the same time above it.
During the filming of the film in a plane crash, two people died. One of them is Alan Purwin, pilot and owner of Helinet Aviation, which provides aerial photography for many Hollywood blockbusters. To look American Made it is necessary at least to estimate air tricks and shooting from planes.
PLUSES: The dizzying career of Barry Sila; paraphernalia of 80th years of the last century; stylization of shooting for that period of time; mass of references to real people and events of the late 20th century; soundtrack MINUSES: Some actual and historical inaccuracies CONCLUSION: If you like the Narcos TV series, you probably will like American Made