American Made

The camera cuts to 1978, where Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), a Trans World Airlines pilot, is living a seemingly ordinary life with his wife Lucy (Sarah Wright) and their two children. However, the arrival of Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson) at a local bar changes everything. Schafer's familiarity with Barry's work as a pilot piques his interest, and he presents an offer that would tantalize even the most risk-averse individual: the chance to make better money by taking on reconnaissance missions for the CIA in a smaller plane with cameras just south of the border.

Schafer's convincing argument that Barry would be working for the good guys, but only if he kept his new job completely secret from his family, proves too enticing to resist. As Barry begins his clandestine career, he starts documenting his travels and exploits on tape, flying over countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Schafer is impressed by the quality of the photos Barry brings back, leading him to assign a new task: serving as a bagman between the CIA and General Manuel Noriega (Alberto Ospino) in Panama.

Barry's mission takes him to meet the infamous Medellin Cartel - Jorge Ochoa (Alejandro Edda), Carlos Lehder (Fredy Yate Escobar), and Pablo Escobar (Mauricio Mejia). They are eager to get their drugs into the United States, but the risks associated with landing planes in the country prove too great. Barry, however, is unfazed by the dangers, taking his plane on a thrilling ride that almost ends in disaster before he manages to pull up and continue flying without incident.

Barry's newfound trust with the cartel is short-lived, as the DEA raids one of their compounds, leaving him arrested and at the mercy of Schafer. The CIA agent visits Barry in his cell, warning him that his home will be raided, and Lucy (Sarah Wright) will likely be taken in for questioning, spending the night in custody. When Barry is finally released, he returns home to Lucy and the kids, urging them to pack their belongings as they prepare to make a hasty departure. Despite Lucy's pleas for answers, Barry remains tight-lipped, his secrecy eroding the trust between them.

As the Seals settle into their new homebase in Mena, Arkansas, Barry finds himself at the helm of a lucrative operation, tasked with ferrying arms to the Contras. Initially, his flights are met with little success, as the Contras pilfer his goods instead of receiving the intended cargo. Undeterred, Barry pivots, striking a deal with a cartel leader to transport guns and narcotics across the border in exchange for a share of the profits. With his workload increasing, Barry recruits four trusted associates to join him on these high-risk missions, each flying separate planes under the cover of darkness.

As Barry's empire expands, so does his reputation as a shrewd businessman and devoted family man. He becomes an integral part of the local community, contributing generously to charitable causes and providing for his loved ones. However, beneath the surface, he remains shamelessly indulgent in his wealth, establishing complex financial networks to conceal his ill-gotten gains.

The arrival of Lucy's freeloading brother JB (Caleb Landry Jones), a constant thorn in Barry's side, serves as a harbinger of trouble to come. Initially, Barry attempts to placate JB by securing him a job at the airport, but ultimately, the young man's lack of accountability and questionable morals lead to a devastating discovery: he has been pilfering funds from Barry's hangar stash, using them to purchase a new car and indulge in illicit activities.

As the DEA closes in on Barry's operation, the cartel faces its own crisis when Pablo Escobar declares war on the Colombian government. With his business partners in disarray, Barry must navigate treacherous waters to mediate their differences. Meanwhile, JB's antics land him in hot water with local authorities, and Barry is forced to bail him out once more. In a shocking turn of events, JB meets a grisly end at the hands of a car bomb, leaving Barry to dispose of the wreckage by dumping it deep in the woods.

Here's the rephrased section:

As the dust settles on their meeting, Barry and Schafer (character omitted) dissect the Contras' sudden departure from the battlefield, citing their lack of fighting spirit as the reason. This revelation triggers a chain reaction, with the CIA swiftly disbanding all ties to Barry. In an attempt to extricate himself from the situation, Barry tries to quietly relocate his stash of goods from the airport, but his efforts are thwarted when he's intercepted by a coterie of law enforcement agents, including the FBI and DEA. He's subsequently arrested and taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Barry faces off against prosecutor Dana Sibota (Jayma Mays), who's hell-bent on securing a conviction. As she confers with her lawyer on the phone, Barry attempts to grease palms with the arresting officers while simultaneously insisting he'll emerge unscathed from this ordeal. However, Sibota ultimately confirms that Barry is free to go, leaving him to ponder his next move.

Under the auspices of Ronald Reagan's administration, Barry receives a mission to gather incriminating evidence on the Sandinistas, who are believed to be involved in drug trafficking. To facilitate this objective, he sets up cameras in a plane, tasked with capturing photographic proof of their nefarious activities.

With his credibility still intact among the Medellin Cartel, led by Ochoa (character omitted), Barry leverages his influence to engage in clandestine transactions, smuggling goods onto the plane where the compromising photos are taken. The White House later releases these photos as propaganda, revealing Barry's complicity. He's told that they were meant to remain classified until after the cartel members had been apprehended.

As the DEA conducts a search of Barry's residence for evidence, Lucy takes their children to Baton Rouge, fleeing the turmoil. Barry is subsequently convicted and sentenced to 1000 hours of community service, forcing him to move from hotel to hotel each night in an effort to evade detection.

On one fateful evening, he's confronted by hitmen dispatched by Escobar (character omitted), leading to his untimely demise.