10s Movie Review - American Made

Director: Doug Liman
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jesse Plemons, Caleb Landry Jones, Jayma Mays
 
Description: The story of Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), an American pilot who became a drug-runner for the CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the Iran-Contra Affair.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 22: A MOVIE WITH RED POSTER ART
 
Review: In the early months of 1986, then forty-six-year-old pilot Barry Seal was shot dead in broad daylight ins his car. Smuggler Seal had made quite a few enemies and, in the last few months, was even less sure of his life than he already was.
Barry’s wife Lucy doesn’t know any better than that her husband has a good job as a pilot with a major airline. It’s a good job that brings food to the table and thus supports the couple’s two children with a third on the way. The fact that the workaholic Barry smuggles in the occasional batch of Cuban cigars may hardly be a name, but it does bring in some extra cash.
When Barry is unmasked by a man posing as a CIA employee, the game is up. Barry leaves his employer to shoot aerial photographs for the CIA to locate rebels affiliated with the Soviet Union. And when he hits the ground running in Colombia, he is recruited by Pablo Escobar’s people as a cocaine smuggler.
If he hadn’t engaged in so many wrong deals, Seal’s life story would be a suspenseful boy dream. This is also certainly how director Doug Liman approaches the complicated jobs Seal had to do for all sorts of people. The case gets more and more complex and Barry gets busier and is watched by more eyes.
Liman scores points as long as he keeps the momentum going nicely and doesn’t led lead actor Tom Cruise do too much character acting. In his portrayal, Seal is a gutsy guy who regularly overestimates himself. Nevertheless, he commands respect and gets away with a lot, with the result that he takes even more risks. Moreover, this is lightly embedded in the political situation of the 1970s and 1980s, both under Carter and Reagan.
It would get boring if we only hopped from job to job, so the Barry’s family life is also thrown into the story. Surely, sooner or later, wife Lucy will find out what shady business her husband is involved with. It could cause some turbulence in their marriage. But eventually Lucy gives in, especially when the money Barry gets becomes more and more. The fact that her relationship consists only of misconception, lies and false assumptions in not adequately played out. Cruise’s limitation as a dramatic actor are painfully revealed at these moments. He shines in action sequences and grand scenes, but the smaller, emotional moments really misses the mark sometimes.  
Liman tried to make a mix of drama, thriller, adventure and comedy. That’s where “American Made” isn’t as good as it could be. On an entertainment level, everything is fine, but the film fails to go in depth. And the fact that Barry Seal isn’t a very nice and likeable guy, also doesn’t help.

Rating: 3/ 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 56

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: Midway (2019)
The story of the Battle of Midway, told by the leaders and the sailors who fought it.
 

Drama: The Judge (2014)
Big-city lawyer Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) returns to his childhood home where his father (Robert DuVall), the town’s judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family.
 

Comedy: Girl’s Trip (2017)
When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
 

Animation: Over the Moon (2020)
A girl builds a rocket ship and blasts off, hoping to meet a mythical moon goddess.
 

Romance: The Age of Adeline (2015)
A young woman (Blake Lively), born at the turn of the 20^th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After many solitary years, she meets a man (Michiel Huisman) who complicates the eternal life she has settled into.
 

Horror: Army of the Dead (2021)
Following a zombie outbreak in las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
 

Science Fiction: Dredd (2012)
In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop (Karl Urban) teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.
 

Crime: American made (2017)
The story of Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), an American pilot who became a drug-runner for CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the Iran-Contra Affair.
 

Thriller: Prisoners (2013)
When Keller Dover’s (Hugh Jackman) daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.
 

Documentary: Nail Bomber: Manhunt (2021)
This documentary tells the story of the 1999 London bombings that targeted minority communities, and the race to find the far-right extremist behind them.
 

Family: Paddington 2 (2017)
Paddington (ben Wishaw), now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up  a series of off jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100^th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

Movie Trailer Sunday (296)

Here are this week's trailers.

American Made
Director: Doug Liman
Description: A pilot (Tom Cruise) lands work for the CIA and as a drug runner in the south during the 1980s.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Caleb Landry Jones, Jesse Plemons, Sarah Wright, Domhnall Gleeson, Jayma Mays
Trailer: Trailer "American Made"
Comment: I still have a weakness for Cruise..

The Book of Henry
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Description: Sometimes things are not always what they seem, especially in the small suburban town where the Carpenter family lives. Single suburban mother Susan Carpenter (Naomi Watts_ works as a waitress at a diner, alongside feisty family friend Sheila (Sarah Silverman). Her younger son Peter (Jacob Tremblay)is a playful 8-year-old. Taking care of everyone and everything in his own unique way is Susan's older son Henry (Jaeden Lieberher), age 11. Protector to his adoring younger brother and tireless supporter of his often self-doubting mother - and, through investments, of the family as a whole - Henry blazes through the days like a comet. Susan discovers that the family next door, which includes Henry's kind classmate Christina, has a dangerous secret - and that Henry has devised a surprising plan to help. As his brainstormed rescue plan for Christina takes shape in thrilling ways, Susan finds herself at the center of it.
Starring: Naomi Watts, Dean Norris, Lee Pace, Sarah Silverman, Jacob Tremblay, Jaeden Lieberher
Trailer: Trailer "The Book of Henry"
Comment: This looks really good. Can't wait to see Naomi Watts in this.

Megan Leavey
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Description: Based on the true life story of a young Marine corporal whose unique discipline and bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq.
Starring: Kate Mara, Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford, Geralindine James, Common, Edie Falco, Will Patton
Trailer: Trailer "Megan Leavey"
Comment: I Always like dog stories. Tissues someone?

Coco
Director: Lee Unkrich, Adrian molina
Description: Coco follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who sets off a chain of events relating to a century-old mystery, leading to an extraordinary family reunion.
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt
Trailer: Trailer "Coco"
Comment: Disney Always gets it right, so I'm convident about "Coco".

First Kill
Director: Steven C. Miller
Description: A Wall Street broker (Hayden Christensen) is forced to evade a police chief (Bruce Willis) investigating a bank robbery as he attempts to recover the stolen money in exchange for his son's life.
Starring: Bruce Willis, Hayden Christensen
Trailer: Trailer "First Kill"
Comment: Hey, Hayden Christensen is back. I don't know if that's a good thing though...