Not since Gran Torino has the one and only Clint Eastwood starred in a film that he’s also directed. He actually hasn’t acted in over six years, but he’s found the perfect role as Earl Stone in The Mule. Based on a New York Times Magazine article, this comedic crime thriller has a lot on its mind – most of it not even involving driving drugs around.
Stone was a successful horticulturalist until the internet put him out of business. He’s lonesome and broke with foreclosure knocking down his door. As a man who has spent most of his days on the road, he would have to be a fool to say no when offered a gig to drive. There’s no better way to make some quick cash to help heal old wounds. But he’s being paid by the Mexican cartel and he ain’t transferring no pecans.
As an 87 year-old drug courier, Stone is the least expected to break the law, but isn’t as naive as he appears to be. As each drop becomes larger and larger, it garners the attention of hot shot DEA agent Colin Bates (Bradley Cooper) as well as his employers who want him on their schedule or else. It’s easy to see his new career choice is going the wrong way, but there’s no turning around now. He’s rolling with the punches late in life, taking each one squarely on the chin.
As crazy as this true story sounds, The Mule‘s most powerful and poignant journey is spent looking in the rear-view mirror. Stone loved his flowers more than his family, abandoning his wife (Dianne Wiest) and daughter (Eastwood’s actual daughter Alison Eastwood) for the sake of being someone somewhere else. His granddaughter (Taissa Farmiga) is the only one who is wanting gramps to stay in the picture. Family and failure is what drives The Mule and it hits hardest in savory scenes Eastwood shares with Cooper and Wiest. They’re heartbreaking reminders of how time can never be bought or replaced.
Eastwood will never get rid of his American ruggedness and we will always need it. However, he’s no hero here. Playing an old-fashioned guy who knows he hasn’t done much right in his life – he unarguably awaits the payback he knows he cannot run from. As mortality gets ever closer – no longer recognizing nor caring to understand an America that’s passing him by – Stone’s regrets rake at his conscience and will tell anyone who will listen to not do what he did.
The Mule feels like one of Eastwood’s most personal, putting a piece of himself on-screen and using Stone to deliver a message from the few who have lived long enough to tell it. Seen in his direction and performance, Eastwood orchestrates with quintessential grace and charisma, making this emotional ride an enjoyable one you won’t soon forget.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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