American Made

American Made is a funny, fast-paced and, thanks mainly to the excellent Tom Cruise, a really cool chill-out movie that does not try to be dramatic. Which surprises me, because had its satire been a little more piercing, it could have reached the heights of Martin Scorsese. (08/31/2017)

A worse feature episode of Narcos, made in a relaxed but inconsistently executed style of The Wolf of Wall Street or the Lord of War. So, it never finds its own path and so it crouches in the shadow of the above. What would help is a better-built storyline, some emotions and a better executed shift to more serious department at the end, but purely as 80s stylized relaxed biographical nonsense, it's not really bad at all and it's definitely fun. Take my word for it. Especially thanks to Cruise, who is a great fit to this comic conceived role of a passive macho dude. Partly because he doesn't try to stylize himself into the real Barry Seal and he just plays himself. (08/24/2017)

After The Mummy, Tom Cruise apparently relaxed and enjoyed this 1980s summer romp perhaps even more than many viewers. It’s hard to deny that the premise is uninteresting, but the execution and especially the pacing are a challenge. It's a movie about a huckster pilot that basically flies on autopilot the whole time and everything is clearly lined up (and repetitive). There is no moment of surprise, no vivacity and no drive, you can anticipate the screenwriter's intentions three moves ahead. You still may get a taste of this summer ride, but it's not the experience of the year. The attempt to align itself with Scorsese's legends with its razor-sharp jokes and sarcastic undertones is there, but unfortunately often off-target. (09/01/2017)

A very likeable film from start to finish. You can cheer for the main hero, although he's not fully a good guy, it's thrilling and funny and it has a pleasant retro look and sound. I often thought of Gold with Mathew McConaughey, which, of course, had something extra and I liked even more, but I rarely thought of the much worse The Wolf of Wall Street. Tom Cruise shows us why he still belongs amongst the most sympathetic and best actors. (09/06/2017)

Clever and funny. This will stay around for a while. Cruise and Liman began to hit it off together on the Edge of Tomorrow and the chemistry continues in this free biography of smuggler, Barry Seal. Great comedy style, tongue-in-cheek to damning reminder of the insensitivity of the government. Perfect late 70s atmosphere, great music and two hours of good, honest fun. (09/02/2017)