Due to the things I heard prior
to watching The Mule, I went see this
movie expecting it to be the kind of bad that can be fittingly enjoyed in an
ironic manner. To my surprise, I found
it to be genuinely good – engrossing, well-paced, and soulful.
Inspired by the real-life story
of Leo Sharp, the film follows 90-year-old Korean War veteran and award-winning
horticulturist Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood), who finds himself broke and facing
foreclosure. Having spent his life
neglecting and disappointing his family, he has become estranged from them, and
thus, can’t expect for their help. With
nowhere else to turn to, the desperate old man agrees to perform a drug run for
a Mexican drug cartel. Soon enough, he
becomes the cartel’s top mule, moving millions of dollars’ worth of drugs in
the following months. This earns him large
amounts of cash as well as the nickname “El Tata.” Meanwhile, the DEA (Bradley Cooper, Michael
Peña, and Laurence Fishburne) gets wind of his successful operations and begins
working on uncovering his identity.
This film is extremely investing. It tells a remarkable story, and Clint
Eastwood’s direction and acting potently convince the audience to give it the
interest it deserves.
Eastwood’s Earl Stone is by no
means a hero, but he’s as likable as other charismatic crooks in cinema like Leonardo
DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort (The Wolf of
Wall Street) and Tom Cruise’s Barry Seal (American Made). But what
makes him different from those two is that he’s such an unassuming, elderly
character and that he has a poignant redemption arc going for him.
It has heart. It runs smoothly along its dramatic routes, and never
stumbles into being overly sentimental. And
thus, whatever life lesson it tells is clearly stated for the audience.
Lastly, Clint lets his character be
politically incorrect in a few instances, and he integrates these moments into
the narrative in a gratuitous way that feels like he has put them there just because
he wants to and he doesn’t care whoever he offends. This adds another layer of amusement
for me.
Overall, The Mule is a pensive, stimulating, occasionally funny, low-key crime
drama film that is quite satisfying to watch.
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