American Made (2017)

Breezy is the wrong mood for a true story about a pilot hauling cargo for both the CIA and a cartel, and American Made picks breezy anyway. Barry flies guns one way and cartel shipments the other, cash piles up until he’s stuffing it into closets and burying it in the yard, and every consequence lands as a punchline. Doug Liman shoots it like a shaky, sun-bleached home video, and it moves. That’s also the problem. A story this tangled should sting, and this one mostly winks. Tom Cruise is charming, and his crash landing in a quiet suburb is a blast. Domhnall Gleeson is great as Monty, a CIA handler who sounds like he’s never said a true sentence in his life. Caleb Landry Jones makes JB the most irritating brother-in-law in recent memory, which is the point. It made $134.9 million worldwide on a reported $50M. A 6.3 because it’s a fun ride that skips the hard parts. $2.46 says you find cash in an old coat pocket this month and feel like you got away with something.

What works: Tom Cruise is at his most charming, Domhnall Gleeson is slippery and funny, and the scrappy home-video style gives it real energy.

What doesn’t: It plays a messy true story as a breezy caper, waving off the real harm Barry’s work caused and treating every consequence like a joke.

Who it’s for: People who like fast, funny true-crime capers and don’t mind when a movie picks fun over depth.