Based on the hot-trotting life of Barry Seal [performed brilliantly by Cruise], a former TWA pilot and an alleged former member of the CIA who flew missions to arm guerilla soldiers in South America in the 1980's; who became a drug smuggler handling marijuana and cocaine shipments through a private company, became an informant for the DEA to avoid prison. Mexican Cartels eventually launch a "Wanted Dead" hit on him, forcing Seal to frequently move around and record his own history on video.
THE GOOD - There are lots, and I mean LOTS, of areal sequences that are captured on camera; all of the piloting on the private planes were actually piloted by Cruise and his acting team. The locations for this film cross over many small countries and large bodies of water to capture the right feel for what Seal went through during his "missions" to arm guerillas and bring back "supplies." There are many 1980's memorabilia moments that are brought back to life with movie wizardry and the cinematography is spell bounding at almost every turn. Cruise is definitely at the top of his game, performing brilliantly and presenting a character who is under tremendous strain in trying to stay alive in dealing with both the Cartel's and the guerilla fighters he has to deal with.
THE BAD - The pacing is all over the place in some parts of the film. IMO there are some flash back moments that could have been better edited or inserted into the film. There's not enough information on who the Cartel leaders are in the film and the directing seemed to drop the ball as to better explain who each were and what their real involvement was when dealing with Seal.
POST MORTEM - This is a good film. I recommend watching it over a weekend when you have nothing else or better to do. The film drags at times, but there was a lot of emotion to cover in the history of telling Seal's true life story. There are some tremendous areal stunts in the film to keep you on the edge of your seat; and to think that Cruise did all of his own stunts is just crazy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [3.5 of 5 Stars]
