The Mule

As Hollywood has produced many times over, we are offered yet another based-on-a-true-story film. But instead of the movie centering on a well known figure in history, it's about a character we barely have heard of, much like the character Robert Redford played in :The Old Man and the Gun" released recently. With that said, we have "The Mule" in the offing about an old man that unwittingly becomes involved being a driver for a Mexican Cartel.

 

Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood), a 90-year-old man who is broke, alone and facing foreclosure of his business as a horticulturalist is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough, but, unbeknownst to Earl, he's just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican Cartel. He does well--so well, in fact, that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl is assigned to a handler, Julio (Ignacio Serricchio). But he isn't the only one keeping tabs on Earl; the mysterious new drug 'mule' has also hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates (Bradley Cooper) and his assistant (Michael Pena). And even as his money problems become a thing of the past, Earl's past mistakes start to weigh heavily on him, so he must decide whether to right those wrongs before law enforcement and cartel thugs catch up to him.

 

Others to round out the cast are Laurence Fishburne as DEA special agent, Dianne Wiest as Mary Stone, Earls's ex-wife, Alison Eastwood as Iris, Jill Flint as Pam, Taissa Farmiga as Ginny, Robert LaSardo as Emilio, Andy Garcia as Cartel leader, Eugene Cordero as Luis, Katie Gill as Sarah, Manny Montana as Axl and Noel Gugliemi as Bald Bob.

 

This was solidly and boldly directed by consummate veteran Clint Eastwood ("Play Misty for Me" '71, "The Outlaw Josie Wales" '76, "Sudden Impact" 83, "Unforgiven" '92, "True Crime" '99, "Mystic River" '03, "Flags of our Fathers" '06, "Gran Torino" '08, "American Sniper" '14, "Sully" '16, "The 15:17 to Paris" '18) plus many others. Every film that Eastwood directs simply showcases his ability to bring the characters involved to life. His cohesiveness, pacing and staging are flawless, not to mention the emotions he is able to extract from his actors. Is this film as caliber as some of his past films? No, but it is still a solid film and his performance has the impact that one would expect from his films. What's amazing is how Eastwood is still able to direct and star in his films at his age! It is solidly written by Nick Schenk ("Gran Torino" '08, "The Judge" '14) plus TV, a short and a video, and is inspired by the New York Times Magazine Article "The Sinaloa Cartel's 90-Year-Old Drug Mule" by Sam Dolnick. Even though this writer has a good deal of TV under his belt and the two films he has written are both written well, this film was a bit choppy in places and there were a couple of slow places in script, otherwise this was a gripping storyline. The intense build-up of plot was enough to put its audience on the edge of their seats, all the while wondering what is going to happen in Earl's situation. As with a number of Eastwood films, this is not a warm and fuzzy feeling film so one would not be seeing this for the entertainment factor as much as for the well-made crafted film that it is. The ensemble cast is believable and the characters they play are well delineated. The feat of directing and starring in a film is almost more that a much younger actor could endure, however for this 88-year-old veteran pro, he certainly makes it look effortless.

 

When one believes that Eastwood has completed his last film, just because of the shear age, he astounds us all and cranks out yet another one. He's like the Eveready bunny where he just keeps going on and on. This is a tight, intense thriller that will leave you intrigued at every turn.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: R                                        116mins.