In the 2017 movie American Made, Tom Cruise’s risky performance as pilot Barry Seal went horribly wrong while the movie was being made. Andrew Purwin, Jimmy Lee Garland, and Carlos Berl were the pilots who flew a twin-engine Aerostar 600 in Colombia for the movie. In the crash in September 2015, two people died and Garland was seriously hurt. The families sued, saying that safety measures were not followed and that people were not careful.
Berl was worried about safety because he was experienced but not used to the Aerostar. Garland was a mechanic and pilot who filled in for Tom Cruise. Purwin had a troubled past in flight and was known for doing dangerous things. There was a lot of pressure to leave right away, which is when the weather-related crash took place.
After that, there were court cases with claims of forced air travel, hacked planes, and fake certificates. The lawsuits were settled in 2019 for an unknown amount, which shows how badly the movie affected safety, screening, and government rules in film production.
In 1985, while making Top Gun, similar flying dangers were seen. Even though it’s back on streaming services, American Made is still a strong warning about the dangers that come with making great movies.