Netflix have added a ‘lost gem’ Tom Cruise movie the platform, but the production behind the film unfortunately had a tragic backstory.
Cruise is best known for his insane stunts on the Mission Impossible films, many of which were added to Netflix just recently themselves.
Another film has been added starring Cruise and it is based on a true story in which a Medellin cartel pilot ended up becoming an informant for the DEA.
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The film in question added to Netflix is called American Made, and stars Tom Cruise in the true story of a man called Barry Seal.
Seal was a major drug supplier for Pablo Escobar’s Medellin drug cartel before becoming an information for the US government, testifying in several high profile trials.
Cruise stars alongside Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, and Jesse Plemons with Tom Cruise favourite Doug Liman directing.
The film was well received when it came out, getting a 7.1 on IMDb and 85% on Rotten Tomatoes as well as making $135 million from a $50 million budget.
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Many however feel it didn’t get the dues it deserved, with one fan posting about the film on Reddit saying: “I think there's nothing better on the screen than a strung out Tom Cruise. This is a lost gem.”
Unfortunately, however, there is a tragic production story behind the ‘lost gem’.
The tragic story behind American Made’s production that saw two people die
The film, which of course involves a great deal of flying scenes, saw a plane being used for filming crash in Colombia.
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Happening in September 2015, two pilots, Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl, were killed in the tragic incident.
A third person, Jimmy Lee Garland, was paralysed as a result of the crash.
A spokesperson for Universal released a statement following the incident, released via PEOPLE magazine.
They confirmed the incident, saying: "An aircraft carrying crew members crashed while returning to Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellin following production wrap on the film [American Made] resulting in two fatalities."
This led to a complicated legal situation in which Purwin’s family sued the film’s producers and Berl’s family, and Berl’s family sued the producers as well as Garland and Purwin’s families.
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Berl was an insufficiently experienced pilot, something which Purwin’s estate blamed on producers, though Berl’s family claimed that he had been compelled to fly the plane despite reiterating his lack of experience.
Things were made even more complicated when producers filed a counterclaim against Purwin’s estate, claiming he had purchased a faulty plane.
The complicated legal situation was settled in 2019 when the producers made an out of court settlement, the details of which have not been publicly disclosed.
American Made is available to watch on Netflix now.
Topics: Netflix, Tom Cruise, Pablo Escobar, TV and Film, Film
Michael Slavin