In 2017’sAmerican Made,Tom Cruiseproved that he can be at his best when playing the exact opposite ofTop Gun’s franchise hero Maverick. In 2017’sAmerican Made,Tom Cruise plays real-life smuggler Barry Seal, a larger-than-life figure who ran drugs for the CIA during Iran-Contra. WhileBarry Seal made a lot of moneyduring his escapades,American Madedoesn’t portray the pilot as a charismatic antihero. The fact that the drug money was used to fund anti-Communist death squads in South America is never far from the audience’s mind, making Cruise’s character an amoral figure.
Tom Cruise’s Maverick Story Proves How Ridiculous The Original Top Gun Ending Really Was
Top Gun: Maverick improved on the original movie, but this had the unfortunate side effect of making Top Gun’s ending look ludicrous upon a re-watch.
Throughout his career, Cruise has played all manner of morally murky characters. He played an outright villainous assassin in2004’s underrated thrillerCollateral, a campy vampire in 1994’s Anne Rice adaptationInterview With A Vampire, and a grotesque parody of a Hollywood executive in 2008’sTropic Thunder. However, in recent years, Cruise’s work in theMission: Impossiblefranchise, theJack Reachermovies, theTop Gunseries, and standalone hits likeOblivionandEdge of Tomorrowhave solidified his status as a major action star. Strikingly,American Madeturned one of his most famous roles on its head.
Tom Cruise Played The Opposite Of Top Gun’s Maverick In 2017’s American Made
Barry Seal Is The Polar Opposite Of Top Gun’s Maverick
As Barry Seal,Tom Cruise played the opposite ofTop Gun’s Maverick inAmerican Made. The parallels are obvious, as both characters are pilots employed by the US government to help out with international interventions. The differences are equally obvious.American Madesees Cruise play a pilot who works outside the law as Barry Seal is secretly hired by the CIA to run cocaine, but simultaneously chased by the DEA.American Made’s high-flying story could not be less likeTop Gun’s plot, as Cruise’s Barry Seal doesn’t care about his country and is only in it for the money,
Cruise’s seal is never portrayed as a hero but rather a pawn in a dark chapter of the CIA’s history.
Seal actively helps fund and arm anti-American forces when it is convenient, and he is never portrayed as a hero but rather a pawn in a dark chapter of the CIA’s history.American Made’s brutally bleak endingimplies that either the cartels that Seal worked for or the CIA themselves had him killed, whereas Maverick is celebrated for his contributions to America’s Navy in the cheery finales of bothTop Gunmovies. Despite, or perhaps because of, these differences,American Madeis exactly the sort of project Cruise should seek out in his later career as it challenges his screen persona.
Tom Cruise’s American Made Performance Is What His Career Needs More Of
Cruise Needs To Leave His Comfort Zone More Often
It is always fun to see Cruise play Ethan Hunt, Maverick, or another charming, effortlessly cool action hero. However, the versatile actor has proven himself to be a once-in-a-generation talent when he leaves his comfort zone and takes on more morally complex roles. FromMagnoliatoBorn on the Fourth of JulytoAmerican Made, Cruise’s career is dotted with performances that display the extent of his range. In recent years, reliably popular blockbusters have been Cruise’s primary focus. However,American Made’s inversion ofTop Gunproves that it pays forTom Cruiseto take risks.
American Made
Based on the life of Baton Rouge pilot Barry Seal, American Made centers on Barry, who works as a drug runner for the CIA in an operation known as the Iran-Contra Affair. The film is based in the ’80s and stars Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sara Wright, and Jesse Plemons.
