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Starring Tom Cruise,American Madeis a fast-paced film that follows the story of a mischievous risk taker, Barry Seal, who started as a TWA pilot and then became a CIA contractor, ends up supplying arms, trafficking drugs for Escobar, and training an illegal Nicaraguan army.
American Made was inspired by various tales about Barry Seal and is considered worth watching. But the incident that happened on its set literally shocked the whole world. During the movie’s filming in Colombia, two men died, and Tom Cruise was the one who was partially blamed.
Also read:“He’s like the benevolent father that you just want to please”: Ben Affleck Was Obsessed With Making Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible Director Happy for $117M Movie That Was Rejected by Matt Damon
Court Documents Blamed Tom Cruise for Fatal Accident on Movie Set
Three pilots were hired in the movieAmerican Made, but unfortunately, two of them died during filming when their twin-engine Piper Smith Aerostar 600 went down in the mountains.
On the set of the film in Colombia on July 04, 2025, two people — Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl died, and severe injuries were caused to another member of the crew — Jimmy Lee Garland, who left without feeling in the lower half of his body in a plane crash.
According to the court documents, the death of Purwin and Berl claimed thatTom Cruiseand director Doug Liman wanted to film a “high-risk, action-packed motion picture,” which contributed to the situation and ultimately led to the fatal accident. The documents state:
“The demands of filming in Colombia, together with Cruise’s and director Doug Liman’s enthusiasm for multiple takes of lavish flying sequences, added hours to every filming day and added days to the schedule.”
In 2016, the documents attempted to suggest that overwork and unsafe practices in the film (partially stemming from Cruise and the director) led to the whole situation.
Also read:Tom Cruise Reportedly Lent His Private Jet to Arnold Schwarzenegger So That 7X Mr. Olympia Could Meet His Best Friend and ‘Expendables’ Co-Star: It’s Not Sylvester Stallone
The Families of the Dead Sued the Producers ofAmerican Made
The families of Purwin (his wife, Kathryn, and his adult children) and Berl sued the film producers — Imagine Entertainment, Vendian Entertainment, and Cross Creek Pictures — for wrongful death and for ignoring safety procedures. The documents say:
“Lapses in planning, coordinating, scheduling, and flight safety that were the Defendants’ responsibility resulted in an unqualified and unprepared pilot being pressed into service for a dangerous flight in a vintage aircraft across an unfamiliar mountain pass in bad weather.”
Cruise and Liman weren’t named defendants, but the families argue their negligence allowed the flight in unsafe conditions. They also claim an executive producer filed a formal complaint about Cruise and Liman with the insurance company. He said:
“DL [Director Liman] and TC [Cruise] [are] adding entire scenes and aerial shots on the fly. Had to bring in Uni Safety to help wrangle them. In the last 48 hours this has become the most insane sh*t I’ve ever dealt with.”
Following the lawsuit, later in 2018, the producers filed a counterclaim against Purwin’s company, Heliblack, and estate. They alleged Purwin purchased a faulty plane and misrepresented his qualifications to secure the job. In 2019, the producers of the Tom Cruise film have settled all litigation, the terms of which were not disclosed.
Watch American Made onPrime Video.
Also read:“That was the last time he was just Tom”: Tom Cruise’s Mystery Unraveled By Supernatural Actor Who Labeled Megastar As a “Goofy and Insecure Kid” on $63M Movie
Source:People
Shreya Jha
Articles Published :1042
Meet Shreya, FandomWire’s go-to Pop-Culture Writer. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and a pop culture obsession that rivals even the most die-hard ‘Star Wars’ and Marvel fans.Her articles have been published in Animated Times, Creator Mail, and The Luxxe Mag. When Shreya’s not busy dishing out hot takes, she is lost in the world of rom-coms.
