Director Clint Eastwood
Genre Crime | Drama | Mystery
Cast Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Taissa Farmiga, Michael Peña
Rating R
Release Date December 14th, 2018
“A 90-year-old horticulturist and WWII veteran is caught transporting $3 million worth of cocaine through Michigan for a Mexican drug cartel.”
From accomplished actor turned director Clint Eastwood, The Mule is a crime drama about a 90-year-old horticulturalist and WWII veteran who gets caught transporting $3 million worth of cocaine. Eastwood is unquestionably one of the greatest actors in the history of film, but he has also proven to have a great deal of talent behind the camera with Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Gran Torino, to name a few. The Mule marks Eastwood’s 40th directing credit.
Born in San Francisco in 1930, 88-year-old Dirty Harry actor turned director Clint Eastwood is the epitome of the saying "ageless". I mean just think about that for a second, this guy is on the cusp of 90 and is not only acting and directing, but he is also playing the most important role in the movie. The 6'4 actor has literally done it all in his career since he began acting in 1955 at the young age of 25. Moving into the director's chair in 1971 with the thriller Play Misty for Me, a film he also starred in, he proved his talent well beyond acting. You can basically head to the theater blindly whenever you see Clint Eastwood's name attached to the film (not counting the 2018 disaster The 15:17 to Paris).
The Mule is a true-crime drama that finds Eastwood on both sides of the camera yet again. I tried to avoid the details of the true story and made it a point to see this on opening night, and I was glad I did. At first, I wasn't sure what to think because of the role Eastwood was playing as it is drastically different from the character he portrayed in 2008's Gran Torino, and I think part of me was expecting something similar. At first glance he still has that piercing stare, but this time around he is just a friendly albeit somewhat aloof old man. I genuinely enjoyed his character as he grew on me pretty quickly, and the bizarre yet true story pulled me in right away as well. The Mule is gripping, funny, thoroughly interesting, and above all else just a damn good movie from one of the most talented guys to ever grace the big-screen. Although I wouldn’t mark this down as one of Eastwood’s greatest accomplishments, I have few criticisms. Plus let’s be honest, he set a very high bar for himself. One thing I know for sure, it is bittersweet if this is his final film. Also as a side note, big name actors Bradley Cooper and Michael Pena also star in the film but take a back seat to the real leading man.
Whether you are a Clint Eastwood fan or just enjoy engaging true-crime stories, The Mule gets the Ted Takes stamp of approval and is well worth checking out in theaters.
