American Made (2017)
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A pilot's life takes a dangerous turn when he becomes entangled in a web of CIA operations and drug smuggling.
The story
In 1978, TWA pilot Barry Seal is recruited by a CIA officer to fly reconnaissance missions over Central America. While he keeps the job secret from his wife, he begins to find lucrative opportunities in the region. By the 1980s, the situation escalates when the Medellín Cartel recruits him to fly cocaine to the United States. The CIA turns a blind eye to the smuggling as Seal and his family relocate to a small town in Arkansas, which becomes a hub for cocaine trafficking. As the operation grows, Seal's involvement with the cartel and the CIA creates a high-stakes environment of escalating risk and hidden agendas.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1978, TWA pilot Barry Seal is recruited by CIA officer Monty Schafer to fly reconnaissance missions over Central America. Seal keeps the job secret from his wife, Lucy, but eventually begins flying cocaine for the Medellín Cartel to the U.S. The CIA ignores the smuggling while Seal and his family move to Mena, Arkansas, where the town becomes a hub for cocaine trafficking. Seal also begins running guns for the Nicaraguan Contras, eventually trading them to the cartel. After his brother-in-law, JB, is killed by a cartel bomb, the FBI begins investigating the local drug trade. The CIA eventually abandons Seal, who is arrested by multiple agencies. He avoids prosecution by providing the White House with evidence against the Sandinistas, but his face is exposed in the resulting propaganda. Convicted but sentenced to community service, Seal is eventually hunted and shot dead by a cartel assassin. The CIA continues its operations using different routes, while the public learns of the scandal involving the government's involvement.
- Original title
- Mena
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Doug Liman
- Writers
- Gary Spinelli · writer
- Genres
- crime; comedy
- Themes
- Loyalty; Corruption; Risk
- Tone and mood
- Action; Fast-paced
- Premise and plot tags
- Based on True Events; Drug Trafficking; Espionage
- Source material / true-story basis
- The life of Barry Seal
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Tom Cruise's performance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · scale: percentage · review count: 267; Metacritic · score: 65 · scale: 100 · review count: 50; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 55% · scale: recommendation
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Mena.; The film features a zero-gravity love scene.; The production was interrupted by a plane crash in Colombia.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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