Rated: M
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Screenplay by: Nick Schenk
Based on: “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old Drug Mule” by Sam Dolnick
Produced by: Clint Eastwood, Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera, Jessica Meier, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest, Andy Garcia.
More than anything, The Mule is a character-driven film, revolving around the audacity of ninety-year-old Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood – himself now 88 years-old) getting away with transporting millions of dollars of drugs loaded into the back of his pick-up for a cartel: ‘Maybe you enjoyed living in the moment a little too much. That’s why you’re working for us,’ one of the bosses tells him.
Based on an article published in the New Yorker “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old Drug Mule” by Sam Dolnick, Earl is doing well in 2005. He’s a horticulturist winning trophies. He’s missing his daughter’s wedding. This is his life.
Fast forward twelve years and his business has fallen apart, like his marriage. His daughter hasn’t spoken to him since he missed her wedding.
This is his life.
He’s broke.
So when he gets an opportunity to get out on the road again and get paid envelopes filled with cash at the other end, it’s easy money.
Earl fought in Korea. Guns don’t scare him. The cartel guys don’t scare him. He’s a cranky, politically incorrect old codger who gets friendly with the cartel guys while he gets richer.
It’s a great role for Eastwood – quirky and certain, brave and a pain in the arse. His character evolves as his family becomes more of a focus in his life, so there’s the family drama here as well.
And there’s some big names in supporting roles, Brad Cooper as DEA Agent Colin Bates when meeting Earl over coffee likes him, telling him, ‘you’ve lived so long you’ve lost your filter’. There’s Michael Peña as fellow DEA Agent, Laurence Fishburne heads up the DEA and there’s Andy Garcia as the cartel King Pin – but all these big names are all in support of the legend that is Clint Eastwood, lead role and director.
I would have liked more of the criminal element, making more of the star-studded cast, but it’s really about the entertainment of the character, Earl, and his ability to get away with his crime as a drug mule because who’s going to believe a ninety-year-old gringo’s shifting drugs for a cartel?
The Mule is more drama than thriller (some-what disappointingly) but there’s some good humour here, delivered by one of the greats.