American Made -2017-

It is the rare "crime drama" that ends with nobody winning. The cartel loses a pilot; the CIA loses deniability; Seal loses his life; and the audience loses the illusion that things were ever "better" in the good old days.

American Made (2017): A Wild Flight Through Reagan-Era Chaos American Made -2017-

There is no evidence Seal met the Medellín Cartel leaders in person during his first smuggling run. It is the rare "crime drama" that ends with nobody winning

Doug Liman uses a frantic, documentary-style aesthetic to capture the frantic pace of the 1980s. The color palette is saturated with warm yellows and grainy textures, making the film feel like a found-footage artifact from the Reagan era. the CIA loses deniability