American Made (2017)
85%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: 3 nominations
American Made’s fast-and-loose attitude with its real-life story mirrors the cavalier — and delightfully watchable — energy Tom Cruise gives off in the leading role
American Made is like a rollercoaster ride that never stops, with Tom Cruise at the helm. While some critics may argue that Cruise isn’t the best fit for the role, I say he brings his signature charm and energy to the character of Barry Seal. The film is a wild and crazy ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the ’80s aesthetic is a fun blast from the past. It may not be the most profound or thought-provoking movie out there, but it’s a damn good time. So buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Production Company(ies)
The Mirisch Company, Alpha
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Ball Ground, Georgia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos SDDS Auro 11.1
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 2017 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2017
Genre(s)
Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jesse Plemons, Caleb Landry Jones, Jayma Mays, directed by Doug Liman, written by Gary Spinelli, adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Sims, Katie Walsh, J.R Jones, Rex Reed, Leonard Maltin, Anthony Lane, MPAA rating R, produced by Brian Grazer, Brian Oliver, Doug Davison, Kim Roth, Ray Angelic, Tyler Thompson, Medellin cartel, CIA, Reagan White House, TWA pilot, communism, Central America, reconnaissance, covert operation, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, Flat (1.85:1)
Worldwide gross: $134,866,593
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $162,680,950
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 805
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,740,562
US/Canada gross: $51,342,000
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $61,930,572
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 975
US/Canada opening weekend: $16,776,390
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $20,236,287
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 653
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $50,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $60,311,804
Production budget ranking: 677
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $32,477,906
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $69,891,240
ROI to date (est.): 75%
ROI ranking: 1,033
Domhnall Gleeson – Monty “Schafer”
Sarah Wright – Lucy Seal
Jesse Plemons – Sheriff Downing
Caleb Landry Jones – JB
Jayma Mays – Dana Sibota
Director – Doug Liman
Producer – Brian Grazer, Brian Oliver, Doug Davison, Kim Roth, Ray Angelic, Tyler Thompson
Writer – Gary Spinelli
Director(s)
Doug Liman
Writer(s)
Gary Spinelli
Producer(s)
Brian Grazer, Brian Oliver, Doug Davison, Kim Roth, Ray Angelic, Tyler Thompson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (273) | Top Critics (65) | Fresh (233) | Rotten (40)
But by the time the movie roared to its shockingly grim, remarkably embittered ending, American Made had won me over.
October 13, 2017
David Sims
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
It skitters and jumps, shivers and boot-scoots, never, ever sitting still. You could say it’s like “Blow,” on well, blow. But there’s a breezy sunniness to this film, which looks like a faded snapshot reclaimed from an ’80s photo album.
October 7, 2017
Katie Walsh
Tribune News Service
TOP CRITIC
One assumes that Cruise got this film made, yet he’s a terrible fit for the role: he’s always done his best work portraying smart, insightful characters in dramatic stories, but Seal was a yahoo whose sorry escapades are played here for cynical laughs.
October 5, 2017
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Without realizing it, American Made is a wincing metaphor for Tom Cruise’s movie career-which, come to think of it, is exclusively and embarrassingly American made, too.
October 2, 2017 | Rating: 2.5/4
Rex Reed
Observer
TOP CRITIC
American Made gives director Doug Liman and charismatic star Tom Cruise a superior vehicle and plays to their strengths. It’s a solid piece of entertainment that takes a stranger-than-fiction story and brings it to life in convincing fashion.
October 2, 2017
Leonard Maltin
leonardmaltin.com
TOP CRITIC
The impetuous pace of the film is at one with its moral shamelessness, and, without thinking, we sign up for both.
September 29, 2017
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
“American Made” is southern-fried Scorsese Lite, a gumbo of decadent deviance masking over a sharp spice of potentially fatal risks.
June 26, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Don Shanahan
Every Movie Has a Lesson
Regardless of its exciting story and sharp ending, the film contains almost no lasting consequence and feels more like an adventure than the story of a real-world scandal, rather troublingly so.
March 17, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
[The movie] is phenomenal. … This is brilliant casting … It’s Gleeson’s performance as the institutional representative that sells the film’s recklessly excessive 80s vibe.
October 5, 2021
CJ Sheu
Review Film Review
There’s more character work in any episode of Breaking Bad or Narcos than American Made’s entire 115 minute running time but Cruise’s movie does have a sense of humour about itself that makes for an amiable, if not memorable, watch.
March 1, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
Despite a strong Tom Cruise performance, the movie is as generic as its title.
November 5, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
Paul McGuire Grimes
KSTP-TV (St. Paul, MN)
There was a time when I looked forward to a Tom Cruise motion picture.
September 2, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com…
Plot
Barry Seal was just an ordinary pilot who worked for TWA before he was recruited by the CIA in 1978. His work in South America eventually caught the eye of the Medellín Cartel, associated with Pablo Escobar, who needed a man with his skill set. Barry became a drug trafficker, gun smuggler and money launderer. Soon acquiring the title, ‘The gringo that always delivers’.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film American Made on Fresh Kernels.
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