American Made (2017)
Genre: Action
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Jesse Plemons, Sarah Wright, Jayma Mays
Duration: 115 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Tom Cruise (right) and Domhnall Gleeson fight their way through the Colombian jungle in American Made.

The biographical crime film is  based on the life of Barry Seal, a former Trans World Airline pilot who became a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel – a ruthless, highly organised and feared Colombian drug cartel – in the 1980s.

In order to avoid jail time, Seal approached US government officials and served as an informant  for the US’s Drug Enforcement Agency.

Tom Cruise stars as Seal in this account of the story by Doug Liman. The film sees the pilot being recruited by the CIA to provide reconnaissance on the burgeoning communist threat in Central America. He soon finds himself in charge of one of the biggest covert CIA operations in the history of the US.

The film, directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Identity), has received positive reviews, with critics especially praising Cruise. Alex Godfrey of Empire wrote: “Cruise is as compelling as ever with charm to spare, and this is a ceaselessly entertaining, sometimes tense romp. Although it doesn’t dig much below the surface.”

Guy Lodge of Variety said: “A sweat-slicked, exhausting but glibly entertaining escapade on its own terms, American Made is more interesting as a showcase for the dateless elasticity of Cruise’s star power.”

And the critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “American Made's fast-and-loose attitude with its real-life story mirrors thecavalier – and delightfully watchable – energy Tom Cruise gives off in the leading role.”

Others, like Simran Hans of The Observer, were less impressed. He commented: “Tom Cruise’s aviator sunglasses can’t disguise the flaws in this playful but shallow take on 1980s pilot Barry Seal’s dealings with drug cartels and the CIA.”

The film was released in 21 countries last Friday and grossed a total of $6.7 million over the weekend. It finished number one in 11 of the territories.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Empire: 4 stars

An Inconvenient SequeL: Truth to Power (2017)
Genre: Documentary
Director: Jon Shenk, Bonni Cohen
Starring: Al Gore, George W. Bush, John Kerry
Duration: 98 minutes
Class: PG
KRS Releasing Ltd

Al Gore continues to fight for the planet’s plight in An Incovenient Sequel: Truth to Power.

The sequel to An Incovenient Truth continues to follow former US vice-president Al Gore’s mission to battle climate change.

The 2006 documentary is credited with bringing climate change into mainstream political discourse in the US a decade ago. It won the best documentary Oscar in 2007 and helped propel Gore to a Nobel Peace Prize, which he shared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The sequel sees Gore travelling around the world to train an army of activists and influence international climate policy.

Cameras follow him behind the scenes – in moments both private and public, funny and poignant – as he pursues the inspirational idea that while the stakes have never been higher, the perils of climate change can be overcome with human ingenuity and passion.

He argues that fighting climate change is a moral battle, on a par with the civil rights movement in the US or the fight for gay rights.

Critics praised the documentary and Gore’s stamina. Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal wrote: “Mr Gore remains a prodigy of hope, with energy that seems endlessly renewable.”

Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times said that this reboot “justifies its existence” while Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media remarked: “This sequel to the original landmark documentary isn’t as artistically pleasing as the first but, as a source of information and a brief look into Gore’s personal hopes and doubts, it’s essential.”

The documentary will be released in cinemas worldwide on Friday.

Ratings
IMDB: 5.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Empire: 5 stars

The Dark Tower (2017)
Genre: Sci-fi action
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Starring: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Dennis Haysbert
Duration: 95 minutes
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

Idris Elba is in full action mode in The Dark Tower.

The sci-fi western film combines several elements of Stephen King’s eight-volume novel series of the same name.

The plot, which takes place in both modern-day New York City and in fictional Mid-World, sees Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, fighting against Walter O’Dim (Matthew McConaughey), also known as the Man in Black,  from toppling the Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together.

The film, directed by Nikolaj Arcel (award-winning A Royal Affair) did not go down very well with critics.

Helen O’Hara of Empire magazine wrote: “Elba is genuinely great as the tormented Roland, but the film does its best to suffocate him under a mountain of plot-heavy nonsense.”

Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media was of the same opinion: “This sludgy science fiction/ fantasy dud reduces King’s epic vision to a series of mindless clichés, surrounded by lazy dialogue and half-baked visual effects.”

The $60 million budget film has, however, grossed $88.7 million worldwide since opening on August 4.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 16%
Empire: 2 stars