The Mule

74/100 A fictionalized biography of Leo Sharp, the oldest drug mule in history. When you think drugs, cartels, mules, etc., you think action crime thriller. This is not that. This is a very personal drama about a financially strapped elderly man (played with absolute mastery by Clint Eastwood) who discovers that all he has to do to make a lot of money was to drive packages around ...at least at first. Handled extraordinarily well with some excellent performances, the portrayals are deep and heartfelt examining independence, loss, regret and redemption. Nicely done! -- DrNostromo.com

**_Good enough Eastwood flick based on a true story_** A 90 years-old horticulturalist and war veteran (Clint Eastwood) inadvertently becomes a courier for a Mexican drug cartel. Will he continue to neglect his family? “The Mule” (2018) was directed by Eastwood and inspired by the real-life Leo Sharp. There are similarities to “Gran Torino” (2008), but not as much action. Long stretches naturally involve Earl Stone (Eastwood) driving the highways of America. But things perk up in the second half and there’s some welcome human interest. The flick runs 1 hour, 56 minutes, and was shot in Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia, as well as Las Cruces, New Mexico. GRADE: B/B-

I never understood how people disagree with giving a movie either 10 or only 1 star here. Either it does it's job or it doesn't. The Mule is the kind of movie that my dad, rest his soul, would beg me to see in the theater with him, and then rave about after. A lonely old man that breaks a few laws in order to provide for his family and, in the process, gets himself into trouble with some bad guys. And it's all done without over-the-top action and special effects, making for a film that is completely reliant on script and acting alone. In other words, it's old school, dry, and honestly, a pleasure to watch. And it has actual meaning. There is a plot here and a moral to the story. It's a rarity these days.