Tom Cruise Smuggles Drugs In Overlooked Action Comedy On Netflix
It’s not often that moviegoers get to see Tom Cruise flex his comedy chops, but it’s always a great time when he does. His hilarious turn in Tropic Thunder and the Groundhog Day-like horror of Edge of Tomorrow has shown us that Cruise can definitely be funny, and you can add his underrated 2017 action comedy American Made to that list. If you missed out on this one, like many people did, make sure to check it out on Netflix this weekend.
Tom Cruise stars in American Made, based on a wild true story, now streaming on Netflix.
On top of being a fun movie, American Made has the additional interesting angle of being based on the real-life of former TWA pilot Barry Seal. Seal flew missions for the CIA and became a drug smuggler for the Medellin cartel before becoming an informant for the DEA to avoid jail time. Tom Cruise plays Seal and brings his typical charm and high-wattage charisma to the role.
American Made is directed by Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman, which further proves that Liman can draw out laughs from Cruise when they collaborate. The cast is rounded out by Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Alejandro Edda, Mauricio Mejía, Caleb Landry Jones, and Jesse Plemons. It also netted a decent $134 million at the worldwide box office, which would be more impressive if it wasn’t a movie led by Cruise, who can bring in the box office numbers off his presence alone.
In any case, American Made got generally great reviews from everyone who did end up seeing it. Unsurprisingly, Tom Cruise was particularly praised for his solid performance as Seal. As for the historical accuracy of his character, the film is a bit shakier in that area.
Although Tom Cruise and Doug Liman’s follow-up to American Made is coming years later, the film is sure to be a spectacle as it will be the first Hollywood production to be shot in space.
For one, Barry Seal has denied that he ever worked with the CIA, and his connection with the cartel bosses wasn’t quite as direct as the film portrays. Plus, Tom Cruise looks nothing like the real Barry Seal, so they were definitely just casting someone who was going to bring them a good performance rather than going a realistic route. Of course, that doesn’t mean the movie isn’t fun, and director Doug Liman fully acknowledges the Hollywood-ness of the film, saying it’s “a fun lie based on a true story.”
In short, Doug Liman and Tom Cruise working together just seems to be a winning formula, as both of their collaborations have been highly entertaining, well-received critically, and funnier than your average Cruise flick, which makes their next collaboration all the more exciting. The two will be teaming up for one of Cruise’s most ambitious films to date.
Although Tom Cruise and Doug Liman’s follow-up to American Made is coming years later, the film is sure to be a spectacle as it will be the first Hollywood production to be shot in space. The director and actor will be collaborating with NASA and SpaceX to fly up to the International Space Station and film part of the movie. Cruise will also be doing a spacewalk for the film, which is another first for a motion picture.
Tom Cruise has certainly done a ton of crazy stunts in his career, most recently jumping off a cliff on a motorcycle and parachuting down in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, but going up into space is definitely on an entirely different level. Plus, we should be seeing another absolutely insane stunt from Cruise in the near future as he returns for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two. Cruise always seems to find a way to up the ante for each film, so it’ll be exciting to see what he and director Christopher McQuarrie have cooked up for this one.
American Made was a disappointment at the box office for a Tom Cruise movie, only bringing in $134 million worldwide.
On top of Doug Liman and Tom Cruise collaborating for a film literally in space, the two are also rumored to be working on a sequel to Edge of Tomorrow. There hasn’t been a lot of news on that front lately, but moviegoers certainly have their fingers crossed that the studios will give this one the green light. It’s definitely one of Cruise’s best films of the 2010s, and people would undoubtedly go to theaters to see it.
In the meantime, you can check out Tom Cruise and Doug Liman’s most underrated collaboration with American Made. Head over to Netflix to stream it now. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated on all of Cruise’s upcoming projects.
