In 1978, American pilot/hustler Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) was working for TWA—and making a little extra money on the side by smuggling in cigars from Cuba—when he was recruited by ambitious CIA analyst Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson) to be an off-the-books asset for a covert reconnaissance project. Schafer gives Seal a top of the line plane to fly over the bases belonging to Cold War communist insurgents in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and other South American countries, and take photos of their operations. Barry is a skilled pilot, and quickly becomes an invaluable source of intelligence for the CIA. However, with a family on the way and Schafer refusing to give him a raise, Seal augments his income by partnering up with rising drug lord Pablo Escobar, agreeing to transport large quantities of cocaine into the country for his Medayin cartel. While Shafer is aware of Seal’s activities, he turns a blind eye because he’s only concerned with how he can use Seal’s skills to further his own career. As the years go by, Barry is making money faster than he and wife Lucy (Sarah Wright) can launder, spend or hide it. The local police are starting to get suspicious, and the reckless behavior of his wife Lucy’s dimwitted brother JB’s (Caleb Landry Jones) doesn’t help matters. Meanwhile, the CIA has decided to help arm and train the Contras so that they can overthrow the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and Seal and his planes are to be used to deliver weapons and sneak troops into the U.S. for training. Seal now finds himself mixed up all sorts of illegal activities, some “sanctioned” by the CIA, but also many extracurricular activities of his own. As his operation continues to grow, Seal tries to avoid local law enforcement as well as agencies like the ATF, Immigration and FBI. It’s only a matter of time before this delicate house of cards comes crashing down. And the craziest part is that all of this is based on actual real-life events!

American Made is a highly-entertaining mix of action, drama and humor. The story of Barry Seal is a fascinating one, and something that could never happen today due to the much tighter scrutiny and security we now have around aviation in this country. It is truly astonishing what this man was able to get away with, as well as the illegal activities our own government agencies like the CIA were willing to partake in, or ignore, in order to influence their own global agendas.

The film bounces back and forth between the past and the “present”. In 1986, Seal fears for his life, and is documenting himself on VHS from various motel rooms, recounting his exploits working for the CIA. Seal’s narration carries over into the events of the previous 8 years as they unfold on screen. It’s a playful, “I can’t believe I got away with doing this” type of narration.

Tom Cruise is absolutely charming as Barry Seal. Even though Seal is a bit arrogant at times, and gets involved in all kinds of illegal activities, you find yourself rooting for him. He may have initially gotten into it for the money, but it quickly became all about the thrill. He loves the danger and adventure, and somehow things just seem to always work out for him—just when it looks like Seal’s exploits are about to come to an end, some new door opens and instead of things getting shut down, his operation actually gets even bigger than before. Cruise performed all of the flying that we see his character do on screen, which is quite impressive at times. This helps to add to the realism of the film—the star is actually there in the cockpit, without any camera tricks.

American Made does an excellent job at recreating this specific era in US history—from the clothing to the sets, it really feels like you have been transported back in time. The 4K UHD release really captures the look and feel of the time period with a slightly washed out pale blue, yellow and green color palette. The 4K picture looks excellent, with increased detail in faces, textures and fast-moving action sequences. The only issue I noticed was some noise in the light blue sky in one scene early on in the film. The soundtrack is also quite impressive, capturing the roar of jet engines, planes flying overhead, and the spray of bullets as Seal’s reconnaissance flights inevitably come under attack. Dialogue is clear, and mixed well with the film’s musical soundtrack.

The 4K release comes packed in a standard UHD keepcase along with a cardboard slipcover. Inside is the digital copy redemption instructions, along with the UHD and Blu-ray discs. The Blu-ray disc contains around 45 minutes of bonus material, including deleted scenes, interviews with the cast and crew, behind-the-scenes footage, and an interview with the son of the real-life Barry Seal.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:54:53)

4K Ultra HD:

• 2160p / Widescreen 1.85:1
• HDR10
• Audio: English DTS:X, English DTS Headphone:X, Spanish 5.1 DTS Digital Surround, French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
• Audio: English DTS:X, English DTS Headphone:X, Spanish 5.1 DTS Digital Surround, French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround, English Descriptive Video Service
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital HD (for redemption deadline, see NBCUcodes.com):

• Digital Copy
  The included Digital copy redeems in UHD. The universalredeem.com redemption site only offered the option of FandangoNow, which added the UHD version to the linked UltraViolet collection. However, since Vudu doesn’t currently offer the title in UHD, it only appears as HD in the other Movies Anywhere connected services. Redeeming the code directly in Movies Anywhere may give UHD at all connected services that offer it, but I have not tried this, and doing so will not add the title to your UV library. (I thought Movies Anywhere was supposed to make things simpler!)

Extras:
The bonus features are only included on the Blu-ray disc.

• Deleted Scenes (10:10)
  Collection of 6 deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Doug Liman. Play All, or select from “JB Goes To Church”, “TV Delivery”, “Plane Auction”, “Barry Crashes Into Sheriff’s Station”, “Schafer in CIA Meeting” and “Phone Wars”.
• American Storytellers (6:39)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about the story and real-life people and events portrayed in the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director Doug Liman, writer/executive producer Gary Spinelli, producers Kim Roth, Brian Grazer, Doug Davison and Tyler Thompson, and stars Tom Cruise (“Barry Seal”), Domhnall Gleeson (“Monty Schafer”) and Sarah Wright (“Lucy Seal”).
• Cruise & Liman: A Conversation (5:25)
  Star Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman sit down for an fun discussion about the production.
• In the Wings (6:01)
  A look at the film’s characters. Includes interviews with stars Tom Cruise, Sarah Wright, Caleb Landry Jones (“JB”), and Domhnall Gleeson, producer Kim Roth, and director Doug Liman.
• Shooting American Made (4:16)
  A look at recreating the 1980s with the sets, locations, music and wardrobe. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director Doug Liman, writer/executive producer Gary Spinelli, producers Kim Roth, Brian Grazer and Tyler Thompson, and star Tom Cruise.
• Flying High (4:50)
  The filmmakers discuss the fact that Tom Cruise did all of his own flying in the film. Includes interviews with stars Tom Cruise and Domhnall Gleeson, producer Brian Grazer, and director Doug Liman.
• The Real Barry Seal (5:51)
  Barry Seal’s son Aaron recounts stories about his father.

Final Thoughts:

While most people who were alive in the 1980s have probably heard of the Iran-Contra scandal, they have probably never heard of Barry Seal. American Made is a thoroughly-entertaining look at the unbelievable adventures of this little-known figure in US history. Tom Cruise is as charming as ever as this man who was recruited by the US government to covertly participate in illegal activities on its behalf. It’s a fascinating story filled with humor, drama and action. Universal’s UHD release looks and sounds great, and contains a nice collection of bonus material. This release comes highly recommended for Tom Cruise fans and those just looking for some solid entertainment.