American Made [Includes Digital Copy] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray] [2017]

What happens when you take the director of such movies as the Bourne Identity and Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow and give him the ability to make his own version of Goodfellas? You pretty much gets American Made which is the true story of professional pilot Barry Seal and his adventures working for both the CIA and Pablo Escobar during the 1980s when America was heavily embedded In South America and its efforts to fight the war on drugs and the thwart the spread of communism. Barry seal is truly a fascinating character and director Doug Liman allows Tom Cruise to truly shine and give an electrifying performance. The movie is shot documentary style to make you feel like you were truly in the heat of the jungle or in the cockpit of a plane dodging bullets. This is definitely an edge of your seat thriller which has humor and heart and also once in a while makes you scratch your head as to how so much of our history has been swept under the rug in regards to South America. But don’t let the politics get in your way because this is a movie about Barry Seal and how he tried to get filthy rich by just being the best pilot in the sky and doing what he did best while also taking care of his family and hometown. Filmed in a gritty, hand-held, verite style the 4K image is absolutely amazing in how it pushes the colors to make you feel the sweltering heat of the jungles and the the saturated blues and greens of the Louisiana Gulf Coast as Barry flies drugs into the United States. The lossless sound is explosive and you can feel all the impact from bullets tearing into Barry’s plane to a Barry crash landing to dodge the coast guard. And the often humorous dialogue is crystal clear. Highly recommended for fans of historical thrillers and those who are Tom Cruise and Doug Liman fans.

Doug Liman’s entertaining “American Made” tells the somewhat true story of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot, who, during the 1980’s, was ‘coerced’ into flying spy missions for the CIA before becoming a drug smuggler for a Colombian drug cartel. Then, to avoid prison, he becomes an informant for the DEA, and winds up slipping further and further into a complex web of nefarious enterprises that makes it virtually impossible for him to get out of. Playing Seal with a flippant sarcasm, Tom Cruise displays the multi-leveled range of a superior character actor, but what really makes this film work is Liman’s tightrope-balancing act between outrageous humor and the serious, even dangerous, reality of Seal’s situation. In fact, the film brings to mind the best of Martin Scorsese’s work, e.g., “Goodfellas”, or, more precisely, Scorsese’s less accomplished “Wolf of Wall Street”. Particularly notable is the film’s digital photography that employs an exaggerated sun-drenched color saturation to the point of comic-book surrealism. Although taking liberty with the facts (Seal did not crash-land into a suburban neighborhood), this is a cinematic ride that ranks with the best action thrillers of recent years. And how it eventually leads into the Iran-Contra criminal escapades of the Reagan Administration in 1986 should provide an eye-opening history lesson to viewers who may not know much about that shady era in American history. (Interesting trivia: Cruise actually does his own flying in the film.) A first-rate entertainment, and Liman’s career best.

Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) pretty much lived large for a spell in the late Seventies through the early Eighties. He had pretty much everything which included wealth and the love of an extremely hot woman. His hand was in many pies some legal, some illegal, and some questionably legal. It wasn't so much the wealth, sex, and rock 'n' roll that Barry craved but the shear adrenaline rush of the chase. Many accomplices to his activities would include President Ronald Reagan, then Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton, to his no-account white trash brother-in-law. His inevitable downfall was a classic case of overreach. But what a thrill ride! Cruise plays Seal with equal parts brio and relish. He really seems engaged and having fun with this part and it shows. Best I've seen him in years. Doug Liman directs the film at a dizzying breakneck pace not unlike his previous collaboration with Cruise, "Edge of Tomorrow". Flick flew under my radar on initial release. Don't make the same mistake.

Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) pretty much lived large for a spell in the late Seventies through the early Eighties. He had pretty much everything which included wealth and the love of an extremely hot woman. His hand was in many pies some legal, some illegal, and some questionably legal. It wasn't so much the wealth, sex, and rock 'n' roll that Barry craved but the shear adrenaline rush of the chase. Many accomplices to his activities would include President Ronald Reagan, then Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton, to his no-account white trash brother-in-law. His inevitable downfall was a classic case of overreach. But what a thrill ride! Cruise plays Seal with equal parts brio and relish. He really seems engaged and having fun with this part and it shows. Best I've seen him in years. Doug Liman directs the film at a dizzying breakneck pace not unlike his previous collaboration with Cruise, "Edge of Tomorrow". Flick flew under my radar on initial release. Don't make the same mistake.

its supposed to be based on true events, now i don't know how much of this was true but man what a crazy story stretching from having a man working for the US government to selling drugs for them to make money for other wars! its should be obvious now that some of those things you read about this are pretty much true since a real worker from a government branch came out with there truth and talked about this and in the end he ended up missing and was later found death. great film give it a look

This is a great movie even though I am not a big fan of Tom Cruise. It’s a very interesting movie being that it is a true story. Also, I am very happy with my purchase because I got a great deal on it and it also included a digital copy of the movie. This is very important to me because I like to be able to watch the movie without loading a disc and on multiple devices.

American Made is a decently made movie from 2017, starring Tom Cruise. It’s not a movie that one would be in those “must watch movies before you die” list, but is still an entertaining movie for the average audience. The 4K disc is far superior to its Blu-ray counterpart as it is able to present the movie far better, both through the video and audio quality. This movie has a very saturated look, allowing the 4K present a much clearer image. Overall, highly recommended.

Thought that this movie was better than most people gave it credit for. The cinematography definitely takes you for a ride, making it a fun watch. However, I think they try to make the Barry Seal a bit too likable. Regardless of how much of a cowboy he may have been and whether he was blackmailed by the government as well the Cartel, he was still a smuggler. And apparently a prolific one. This movie is more lighthearted than I would expect the story to be. You don't feel the amount of weight he must of felt, considering his demise.