Tom Cruise's 'American Made' Offers a Rare Glimpse of the Actor as a 'Normal Guy'
The 2017 film, now streaming on HBO Max, stands out as one of Cruise's few roles since 2010 without a significant action-adventure element.
Tom Cruise, known for his death-defying stunts and action hero persona, takes a different path in the 2017 film "American Made," currently available on HBO Max. Directed by Doug Liman, the movie features Cruise in a role that deviates from his typical high-octane characters, portraying a wealthy oil executive possibly implicated in an environmental disaster.
While Cruise has upcoming projects that hint at a return to action, such as a potential "Days of Thunder" sequel and a third "Top Gun" film, "Digger," his latest movie, is noted for not being a typical action flick. In "American Made," Cruise, using prosthetics to appear closer to his actual age, plays Barry Seal, a commercial pilot who becomes a CIA operative and drug smuggler. This marks his first film without a prominent action-adventure hook since "American Made" itself.
Despite being one of Cruise's lower-grossing films in recent decades, "American Made" performed respectably for an adult-driven movie with fewer stunts and visual effects compared to his post-2010 output. In the current post-pandemic market, such a film might be considered successful.
The film presents an alternate perspective to Cruise's iconic "Top Gun" role. As Barry Seal, Cruise embodies a character who, while not inherently criminal, confesses in VHS recordings to a tendency to "leap without looking." Unlike the stoic Ethan Hunt of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, Seal's motivations are grounded in supporting his family and seeking a thrill beyond his mundane commercial piloting duties.
"American Made" is directed by Liman, who also directed Cruise in "Edge of Tomorrow." While Liman and Cruise collaborated effectively in "Edge of Tomorrow," "American Made" is noted for not fully unlocking Seal's inner complexities. The film maintains energy but, according to critics, does not delve as deeply into character as some of Cruise's earlier, more introspective films like "Magnolia" or "Vanilla Sky."
The film's portrayal of Seal, a character who remains somewhat unknowable despite Cruise's charismatic performance, may offer insight into Cruise's own guarded public persona since the mid-2000s. "American Made" thus provides a unique window into what a post-action career for Cruise might entail, focusing on more grounded, albeit opaque, characters.