Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Manny Montana, Michael Pena, Jill Flint, Alison Eastwood, Andy Garcia, Laurence Fishburne, Dianne Wiest, Ignacio Serricchio
Director: Clint Eastwood
Release date: 25th January 2019
Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood) is a 90 year old war veteran, who is estranged from his ex-wife and daughter. His grandaughter is getting married and so he drops into the party. This is bad news for his ex and daughter and they both leave. A guy approaches him at the party and says that if he wants to earn some good money, to give a friend of his a ring. He gives Earl a business card and Earl just looks bemused. Earl’s house is re-possessed and he’s in some serious financial difficulty. He calls the number and is told to go to a garage in El Paso. On arrival he is surrounded by a gang of Mexicans, who stick a holdall in the back of his truck. He is told to take it to the drop off point and leave the car for an hour. When he returns, the keys and payment will be in the glovebox. Everything goes incredibly smoothly and Earl is shocked to find a wad of cash on his return. He continues making the drops but is there only so long that he can do them without getting caught?
‘The Mule’ is Clint Eastwood’s 37th directed movie, with his first one being back in 1971, ‘Play Misty For Me’. For a man who’s 89 in May, he shows little to no signs of slowing down.
This movie is absolutely gorgeous. Clint Eastwood can still act everyone off a movie. He just has this ‘presence’ that sets him apart from pretty much every actor you can name. He has the knack of playing the everyman and making you feel every emotion possible from his performances. Bradley Cooper is great as the DEA lawman who’s trying to track down the Mule, and Dianne Wiest is wonderful as Earl’s estranged ex-wife.
The character of Earl has no filter at all and says exactly what he thinks, which brings a slightly comedic angle to the movie and even though the subject matter is kind of heavy, you really feel for Earl. He just wants to make some easy cash.
Clint Eastwood is still one of the finest living actors and directors and that being said you really should see this film.
Overall: 9/10
