New Jersey Stage 2017: Issue 9 | Page 25

refreshingly restrained. Reteaming with Cruise after their acclaimed sci-fi flop Edge of Tomorrow, Liman seems to have found his ideal collabora- tor. After seeing American Made, it’s difficult to imagine another actor in the role of Barry Seal. Cruise’s shit-eating grin and boundless enthusiasm are vi- tal in helping us believe this man could get away with so much wrongdoing, thanks to his not-so-innocent charm. It’s a chance to exercise both his dramatic and comic chops, and Cruise seizes it with the amount of enthusiasm you would ex- pect from this workaholic. With the star lately stuck in duds like The Mummy and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, American Made comes at an opportune mo- ment for Cruise, reaffirming him as one of Hollywood’s greatest assets. It’s good to see him in a cockpit again too! w American Made 3 ½ stars out of 5 Directed by: Doug Liman Starring: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Alejandro Edda, Sarah Wright, Caleb Landry Jones, Jesse Plemons, Lola Kirke NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol. 4 No. 9 INDEX NEXT ARTICLE 25