SirBurgh
Without spoiling it, this movie attempts to assign a heinous act to Ronald Reagan when he was in no way responsible. I'm not talking about Iran-Contra in general, but watch near the end of the movie the way they try to frame him as a heartless person who puts someone's life in danger. It's BS - he never did that. Read up on the facts of this operation.
bryangary65
A film that keeps your attention, with all the skullduggery and that's just the American government!As always Cruise is watchable, and gives his all.
grantss
1978. Barry Seal, an airline pilot, is recruited by the CIA to fly special transport missions in Central America. Initially it is a matter of information-for-supplies but ultimately he ends up being a drug transporter for Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel and supplying anti-Communist groups, including the Nicaraguan Contras, with weapons.Entertaining. Told in a very light-hearted, fun way it is a roller-coaster ride of humour and action. The humour stems largely from the ineptness and unintended consequences of the actions of the CIA and US government. If told in a more serious way, this would have been a very damning indictment of the US's involvement in Central America in the 1980s, and a powerful examination of how the CIA and US government abuse the loyalty of their own citizens. However, the story is told as a comedy, with absurdity piled upon absurdity, so difficult to believe. Just as well, as, in actual fact, much of what is described is fictional. In particular, the real Barry Seal was hardly a paragon of virtue and only ended up working with the US Government once he was facing jail time.Still, an entertaining story, regardless of its accuracy.
Joe
It's really a mishmash of others you've seen before. Have you seen Blow? Lord of War? Well then you've seen this one mostly or can guess enough of the story and how it will all pan out. Not that that makes it a bad movie. Strange vehicle for Cruise, especially as he is playing a man who even just physically was nothing similar (real man was very fat). Anyhow, Tom Cruise is an everyday man who ends up claiming to end up way over his head with drug dealers, government dark arts and mass government scandals.The said character is a chancer, but knows his market flying his battered planes full of drugs or guns between the US and Latin America, amassing ridiculous amounts of cash with the idealised white fence home and family turning a blind eye. And yes, it all comes crashing down. Tom Cruise strangely plays against type but still as himself! Yet it works, but the charisma is sadly masking that his character is really no hero or friend. Maybe simply Cruise wasn't the right person for the role despite giving an admittedly good performance. Credit though where it's due as he has taken a role that isn't really par for the course of what he's done before. Although he & his wife just seem too perfectly beautiful for the roles as a battle hardened blue collar couple who strike it lucky then all the way down.It's well made and shot and often humorous, but I couldn't empathise and am certain that enough of it masks the truth, with the authors and sources exaggerating what really happened with this character. Possibly the truth was even darker.It's fine to watch but ultimately it won't grab you enough and will remain on the shelves. Fine effort, interesting story but nothing more.
AD
