Old is Gold: Eastwood Delivers Again with “The Mule”

Based on a non-fiction essay published in The New York Times, The Mule marks Clint Eastwood’s first appearance in front of the camera in six years. Eastwood, who also directed the film, portrays the character of Earl Stone, an elderly horticulturalist who has been forced into retirement by the invention of the Internet. He is estranged from the other members of his family because of his frequent absences from important moments in their lives. After a chance meeting with a friend of his daughter’s, he takes up a job as a driver for a group of strangers, delivering unknown items to various locations in the United States. It doesn’t take too long before curiosity gets the better of him, and he discovers that he is in fact delivering drugs for a Mexican cartel. And soon after that, his activities attract the attention of the law enforcement authorities, led by Colin Bates (Bradley Cooper), and a leisurely road chase begins.

At the ripe old age of 89, Eastwood is one of Hollywood’s few remaining “classicist” directors. The Mule harkens back to an era when character development took precedence over plot, when a minimum of special effects were necessary, when the story unfolded at a natural pace, and when films weren’t edited in a frenetic manner. It is a quiet, gentle tale that revolves around the themes of family, regret and aging. The screenplay was written by Nick Schenk, with whom Eastwood collaborated on the sleeper hit, Gran Torino (2008), and it shares some of the laconic humor of its predecessor. Generally speaking, though, the two films are different beasts.

With regard to the film’s performances, it is fair to say that the role of Earl Stone fits Eastwood like a glove at this point in his career. As a man in his twilight years, he carries the burden of a life filled with regret, but who has resolved to make amends before it’s too late. The supporting cast is filled with solid character actors, including Dianne Wiest as Earl’s estranged wife, Laurence Fishburne and Michael Pena as law enforcement officers in pursuit of Earl, and Andy Garcia as a Mexican cartel boss. But there is no question that Eastwood carries the film from an acting perspective.

Although the plot of the film seems unlikely, it is an example of truth being stranger than fiction. Indeed, as the film makes clear, Earl’s circumstances made him the ideal person to pull off the job. There are moments of tension, but no major surprises about the final outcome. This doesn’t detract from the film in any way, because the journey is far more important than the final destination. Overall, for patient, discerning movie lovers, watching The Mule is a refreshing change of pace from the special effects-laden, superhero-themed blockbusters that currently saturate the marketplace. Encouragingly, the film’s solid performance at the box office around the world suggests that there is still a place for a more thoughtful, slower-paced brand of cinema at the multiplexes.

Ming

Vocabulary

estranged (adj.) ? not seeing family members often, especially because of having fought with them
harken back to (phr.v) ? to bring back to mind
frenetic (adj.) ? done very fast and with a lot of energy, often by someone who is in a hurry
laconic (adj.) ? using very few words; brief
to make amends (idiom) to correct a mistake or make up for something bad that was done
discerning (adj.) ? having or showing good judgment about the v