Susan Granger’s review of “The Mule” (Warner Bros.)
This based-on-a-true crime drama is the 37th film that 88 year-old Clint Eastwood has directed, and he stars as a crusty curmudgeon who starts running drugs for a Mexican cartel to pay off his debts.
An avid horticulturalist, Earl Stone (Eastwood) has always spent more time cultivating his flowers than with his family. As a result, he’s continually disappointed his ex-wife (Dianne Wiest) and bitterly disillusioned daughter (Alison Eastwood).
For years, Earl supported himself by growing, hybridizing and selling daylilies but now the Internet has ruined his business. When his house is repossessed and he can’t come up with the money he’s promised for his granddaughter’s (Taissa Farmiga) wedding, Earl knows he needs to do something – quick.
That opportunity arises when, because of his ‘perfect driving’ record (no tickets – ever!), he’s recruited to transport a package from Illinois to Texas. Unknowingly rattling along in his beat-up truck, he enjoys pop music on the radio, stopping occasionally for a pulled-pork sandwich and female companionship.
Since no one would ever suspect this sociable old codger of cocaine-smuggling, one successful ‘run’ leads to another, and Earl becomes known dependable “Tata,” Spanish for Grandpa. He enjoys having cash to spend and, singlehandedly, finances the rebuilding of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars hall.
But when Earl is invited by the Sinaloa Cartel’s kingpin (Andy Garcia) to his lavish Mexican hacienda, it arouses the suspicion of the boss’s #2 man, Julio (Ignacio Serricchio), who insists on accompanying him on his next ‘big’ run.
Meanwhile, Chicago-based DEA agents (Bradley Cooper, Michael Pena) are urged by their quota-hungry superior (Laurence Fishburne) to capture this elusive criminal.
Inspired by Sam Dolnick’s 2014 New York Times Magazine article about W.W.II vet Leo Sharp, it’s adapted as a character study by Nick Schenk, who concentrates on making Earl as charming and compelling as possible. Unfortunately, the supporting characterizations lack similar depth which dilutes the emotional impact.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Mule” is a suspenseful 7, aptly named for the stubborn swindler it depicts.
