The Mule – Review

The Mule film review; Clint Eastwood, adaptation of "The Sinaloa Cartel's 90-Year-Old Drug Mule"

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Runtime: 116 minutes

Clint Eastwood is a marvel to behold. At 88 years old, he is still churning out films either in starring, producing, or directing roles, and there is no sign of him disappearing from the industry. Despite this, I have never been an avid watcher of his films—sure, I’ve heard about them, and have watched his original Western classics, but in recent years they have slipped under my radar. I was pleasantly surprised by The Mule, a film that was, oddly, quite lighthearted and charming despite its heavy subject matter.

The Mule follows Earl (Clint Eastwood), a retired horticulturalist who is estranged from his family. In an effort to reconnect with them, he takes a job which allows him to make money ‘just driving’—the only catch is, he is ‘just driving’ illicit drugs across the country. Despite following an old man carting cocaine across the USA, the script is filled with small interactions and cute moments that lend the film a surprising amount of heart. With this being based on a true story, I can understand some pushback regarding the film’s watered-down treatment of real-life events. Thematically, there is a familial subplot of Earl trying to enact some change, trying his best to atone for his time spent working in his youth, and multiple references to ‘phones ruining this generation’. However, for the most part, I found myself engaged throughout.

Eastwood does well enough in the role, but I have the feeling he didn’t have to ‘act’ much here. Bradley Cooper is strong as the DEA agent tasked with finding him, and they do have some nice moments together. The film is constructed well, albeit taking very little risks, with Earl’s persona always being at the forefront of focus. The contrast between the old war-veteran and the criminal cartel is enough to push the film into ‘interesting’ territory, but it never really transcends that. The humour lands a chuckle every now and again, but the ‘upsetting’ moments don’t really hit home as well as the film seems to think they should. On a side note, Eastwood is obviously an ass man, as we are treated to multiple gratuitous shots of female backsides. Earl gets a lot of action in this film, and the sequences of him grabbing girls who are the same age as his granddaughter are the most uncomfortable, despite being played for laughs.

At the end of the day, I found the film enjoyable and engaging. If you want a serious entry into the drug conversation, then this won’t satisfy your urges. However, if you want a light, interesting story with a likeable, if not a bit grizzled, lead, this should do the trick. Watching this film is a little like visiting your grandparents—it can be charming, and you can be surprised by the amount of crazy shit they have done, you just need to deal with a little bit of cringing at their casual racism and misinformed, but well-intended, pieces of advice for the new generation.

 

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