Nobody Runs Forever

Kaleidoscope’s latest is on Warner Bros. & Malpaso’s production of “The Mule”. Produced & directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie stars Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Taissa Farmiga, Michael Pena, Dianne Wiest, Alison Eastwood, Andy Garcia, & Ignacio Serrichio. Rated ‘R’, it has a running time of 1 hr., 56 min.

Earl Stone is a 90-year old horticulturalist who has spent a lifetime on the road selling his wares; due to this, he has neglected & become estranged from his wife Mary (Wiest), daughter Iris (Eastwood), & has a tenuous relationship with his granddaughter Ginny (Farmiga). While he has been successful in the past, because of the Internet taking so much of his sales, he is facing financial ruin. Within several minutes of the film’s start, he has to close his business. Altho he did not attend his daughter’s wedding, he does go to his granddaughter’s. While there, & after overhearing of his financial woes, Earl is approached by one of the wedding attendees who offers Earl the chance to earn a large sum of money merely by driving a package to a designated location. After successfully completing his 1st mission, Earl becomes intoxicated by how easily he can earn a vast sum of money. Even tho he knows he is being used as a ‘mule’ by a Mexican cartel—headed by Laton (Garcia) & his son Julio (Serrichio), he feels that the rewards outweigh the risks. Concurrently, there is a plot line involving DEA Special Agents Colin Bates (Cooper), his partner Trevino (Pena), & their superior DEA Special Agent in Charge (Fishburne). Acts II & III detail how the 2 narratives converge in this real-life tale.

Eastwood directs himself in his 1st film since 2008’s “Gran Torino”. In many ways Earl & Walt Kowalski have much in common. Both are misanthropic octogenarians who realize what they have missed throughout their lives & seek to make amends to their loved ones at the films’ climaxes—ultimately, a tale of redemption. Eastwood directs in his patented straight-forward, no-nonsense style. There are no fancy camera angles, no fancy compositions—just forthright storytelling. As many actors have said, Clint knows what he wants & gets it with a minimum of fuss. This is evident throughout the film. Nick Schenk’s screenplay—based on the ‘New York Times’ magazine article “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year Old Drug Mule” by Sam Dolnick—is crisp & clean, reflecting & supporting Eastwood’s style. Schenk also wrote “Gran Torino”, & the similarities are evident. The acting is sure & smooth all through the film. Eastwood plays Earl in a completely believable fashion. As with “Torino’s” Walt, there are elements of Eastwood’s iconic Dirty Harry character laced throughout the performance making Earl a very rounded character. Cooper continues his relationship with Eastwood that began with 2014’s “American Sniper”. His Bates is a man on a mission who wants to stop the cartel’s pipeline & continue to make his mark in the agency. As with all fine actors, he also demonstrates a capacity for subtle compassion in his role. Wiest is a bit one-dimensional as Earl’s ex-wife; to her credit, tho, the part is written that way. Daughter Eastwood’s Iris is rather flat, too, although she does soften in the third act—she is the spitting image of her dad, too. Farmiga is excellent as granddaughter Ginny. Her character is the most rounded of Earl’s 3 women in his life. She continues her superior acting that she has demonstrated in “The Nun” & in her various roles in the “American Horror Story” anthology series. Pena is solid as Bates’s partner; he continues to shine in the numerous diverse roles he has undertaken in the past 10 years. Fishburne & Garcia also have flat characters that really do not change during their limited screen time altho they are fine when seen. Serrichio’s Julio has a bit more of an arc as he grows to know Earl on a deeper level than the others. I remember the very good job he did in his role on the “Bones” TV series. Veteran Arturo Sandoval’s score is minimalist to the extreme. One longs for somewhat more at critical points. Yves Belanger’s cinematography & Joel Cox’s editing complement Eastwood’s direction; they are functional & never obtrusive.

I give ”The Mule" 3½ out of 5 nuggets. This is a very fine film, completed under Eastwood’s sure hand, of an incident that would be unbelievable if it were not true. It is a film that will appeal to all demographics because of its narrative, performances, & that it stars 2 icons of film—Eastwood & Cooper. Head to your local cineplex in a fast car rather than a slow mule; you will appreciate it.