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The Mule
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
At age 88, Clint Eastwood somehow remains active behind the camera more than being in front of it.
Having survived his misfire “The 15:17 to Paris” earlier this year, he returns to not only direct but also make his first return to acting since 2012’s “Trouble with a Curve” with his new drama “The Mule.”
The movie is based on a New York Times article titled “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old Drug Mule” by Simon Dolnick, and has to be seen to be believed.
Though he’s a war veteran and was a respected horticulturalist, Earl Stone (Eastwood) hasn’t paid enough attention to his family, including ex-wife Mary (Diane Wiest) and daughter Iris (Alison Eastwood). Worse for him, he lost his garden home to foreclosure after his business failed.
At an engagement party for his granddaughter Ginny (Taissa Farmiga), he gets an offer to do a driving job across state lines for extra pay, which he quickly accepts. He has no idea what he got himself into — he’s delivering kilos of drugs for a Mexican cartel led by Laton (Andy Garcia).
Despite the troubling discovery, he decides to stick with the job because of the money. He uses it to to help his family and his community, including helping pay for his granddaughter’s wedding and fixing up his local VFW center. However, the job gets harder for him when tensions rise within the cartel. Added to that, DEA rookie agent Bates (Bradley Cooper) and his partner (Michael Pena) are monitoring the activities with the help of an inside man.
Earl soon realizes that one little mistake will have him either in jail or dead. Eastwood is pretty much playing the same character from “Gran Torino” — a Korean War veteran with a bigot streak. The big difference is Earl’s light jabs at the current generation and their over-reliance on smartphones.
It’s hilarious to see Eastwood do things in the movie you never thought he would do at his age, like mingling with the younger crowd. But that’s a good thing because it adds levity to the drama without causing a tonal shift. Not only does he once again perform well in front of the camera, he also does double duty as director, proving that he does great work at any age. His eye for detail and his knack for style carries the production with great professionalism.
There are some slow parts, but Eastwood keeps things interesting without boring the viewer. The movie ends in a non-typical Eastwood fashion that may surprise longtime fans, but it works in a logical sense based on where it went from the start.
All in all, it’s a solid yet well-produced film that only a master craftsman can do. Like his other directed movies, Eastwood gets to act with other really good actors for an ensemble experience. He manages to make the familiar character he plays more likable and light-hearted, different from his usual array of performances.
His real-life daughter Allison, along with Wiest and Farmiga, give basic but plentiful performances as part of a family struggling with emotional issues.
Cooper and Pena also add to the cast with the former getting to spend some of his scenes together with the legend after their previous collaboration, “American Sniper.”
“The Mule” is simply crowd-pleasing Eastwood that works in any age range. It probably won’t get recognized during awards season, with a number of issues that could hurt its chances. But for all its worth, a lot of you will see it and come out of it amazed that someone as old as Eastwood can still make a good movie.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for language throughout and brief sexuality/nudity)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
