Movie review
August 18, 2017 · 115 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
American Made is a 2017 black comedy crime film starring Tom Cruise as real-life TWA pilot Barry Seal, who is recruited by the CIA for reconnaissance flights over Central America in the late 1970s and early 1980s before becoming a cocaine smuggler for the Medellín Cartel and a gun-runner for the Nicaraguan Contras. The story follows Seal’s rapid rise through illicit wealth, family relocation to Mena, Arkansas, multiple agency entanglements, and eventual downfall amid the Iran-Contra scandal, all framed as fast-paced, absurd entertainment. The narrative delivers a noticeable institutional critique of CIA and Reagan-era government hypocrisy—enabling drug flights and arms deals while publicly waging the War on Drugs—through black comedy and direct-to-camera narration, but contains no identity-driven themes, forced casting emphasis, or modern activist dialogue.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for American Made.
Woke representation / casting
Casting choices align naturally with the 1980s Southern US and Latin American historical setting and real individuals involved, with no audience-visible forced diversity or identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Features some cynical narration and dialogue about CIA duplicity and Reagan-era policies, but kept light and comedic without explicit modern political or activist rhetoric.
Identity-driven story themes
No identity-driven story themes, character arcs, or messaging present; the plot centers on greed, adventure, family, and real-world espionage/drug trade dynamics.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The core narrative engine is a critique of US institutional hypocrisy, showing CIA and government complicity in drug smuggling and arms deals during the Contra operations while pursuing the War on Drugs, framed as absurd black comedy rather than modern systemic activism.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. While dramatized, there are no ideologically motivated changes to legacy characters or canon; it’s an original take on documented historical events.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No significant public controversy or woke complaints identified; reception and online discussion focus on entertainment, historical accuracy, and Cruise’s star turn, with zero mentions of forced agendas or identity politics in available coverage.
Creator track record context
Doug Liman has directed prior political films involving institutional critique (Fair Game), providing mild supporting context for thematic interests, though his overall work is action-oriented and this project shows no activist or identity-driven pattern from writer or producers.
Production
