9 Years Later, Tom Cruise's Forgotten Action Thriller Is a Major Streaming Hit

Published Sep 25, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT

As Tom Cruise returns to the big screen with the off-the-wall satire Digger next month, one of his lesser known movies has become a streaming hit on HBO Max, where it's among the top 5 most-viewed films. American Made was a lower-profile biographical thriller that saw the star play a unique role, and certainly one fans are not used to seeing him play. While the movie may not have matched the box office heights of his spectacular action pics, it’s another example of how absorbing Cruise can be when he steps outside his comfort zone, and subverts our expectations.

Tom Cruise Rebounded from ‘The Mummy’ with ‘American Made’

Image via Universal Pictures

The year is 2017, and Tom Cruise is in a position he is not particularly used to being in. His action-horror movie The Mummy, intended to launch a new cinematic universe, did not go over well with audiences, a rare miss for the man who had spent much of the previous three decades making hit after hit. His follow-up, released later in the year, is the engrossing true story of Barry Seal, a TWA commercial pilot who is caught by the CIA smuggling cigars in from Cuba. He is recruited to fly reconnaissance missions over Central America, and eventually act as courier for them.

During one mission, he encounters the Medellín Cartel, who ask him to fly drugs back on his return flights. Playing both sides for his own benefit, Seal enjoys the fruits of his success, until his luck begins to run out. The unbelievable true story was brought to the big screen by Doug Liman, who had previously worked with Cruise on Edge of Tomorrow. However, this movie was a very different prospect to the 2014 hit.

‘American Made’ Shows Tom Cruise as an Anti-Hero

Image via Universal

In a confessional video pivotal to the plot, Seal outlines his misadventures. “You know, I guess you could say I helped build an army, defend a country and create the biggest drug cartel this world has ever seen,” he confesses. “DEA, CIA, White House. I mean, it's been a hell of an adventure. Yes, sometimes a little more than I bargained for. But goddamn, you try telling me that this ain't the greatest country in the world?” In that one monologue, Cruise outlines his character perfectly – a rogue who has undoubtedly done bad things, but who relishes the thrill.

The actor retains his signature charm in the lead, but neither he nor director Liman allow you to ever forget that everything Seal does is morally compromised. He is a man out for himself, at the expense of almost everyone else in his life, and as he becomes more desperate, the more lines he is willing to cross. It creates a compelling push-and-pull sensation in the viewer, as you root for Seal to get away with his scheme, but also know that justice will catch up with him eventually.

It’s Fun Watching the Dark Side of Hollywood’s Biggest Star

When you say the name Tom Cruise, certain images come to mind – a fighter pilot with the American flag on his uniform, a spy saving the world at the last second, or a sports agent telling the love of his life, “You complete me.” For forty years, audiences have known the actor as the quintessential hero, so it’s fascinating to see him in the few roles where he plays a bad guy. In 2004’s Collateral, he played the ruthless Vincent, a man who doesn’t even blink when carrying out the most heinous of crimes. Ten years earlier, in Interview with the Vampire, he was Lestat, a bloodsucker who reveled in his evil deeds. Both stand out in Cruise’s filmography as rare examples of him playing bad men, and while Seal may not stretch to that level of villainy, there is no doubt he is a lead character with a dark side.

Cruise often plays complicated characters, maybe even unlikable characters, but very rarely an outright criminal. Indeed, the man who was the star of A Few Good Men and The Firm is more likely to be seen upholding the law rather than breaking it. Just as it’s fascinating to see a comedy actor take on a serious role, the juxtaposition of what we see in American Made compared with what we expect to see from a Tom Cruise movie creates an enthralling contrast.

Tom Cruise would spend the better part of the next decade in familiar territory, making three Mission: Impossible movies and returning to the world of Top Gun. Even with his curious left turn in the forthcoming Digger, American Made remains an interesting quirk in one of the film industry’s most celebrated careers.

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  Barry Seal

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  Monty 'Schafer'

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  Sarah Wright

  Lucy Seal

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  Sheriff Downing