THE MULE (2018) ****

Clint Eastwood returns to the screen in fine fashion with this gripping tale of how a ninety-year-old horticulturist turns into a mule for the Mexican drug cartel.  It’s an unlikely (but true) story, but the way Eastwood’s assured direction allows the plot to unfold is spellbinding.  That, coupled with a terrific performance from Clint, makes for one of the best movies of the year.

Clint plays the character of Earl with a wry twinkle in his eye.  This isn’t the same squinty Clint we’re used to seeing.  Sure, Earl rattles off some decidedly un-PC language (as he did in Gran Torino), but his heart is in the right place.  I mean nobody decides to up and become a drug mule.  When he does so, it’s coming from a good place.  He’s spent decades putting work ahead of his family.  This is his way of making things right.  Besides, at ninety, he doesn’t have much time left and he needs the money fast.

The early scene of Earl in his element is key.  We see him at a flower convention receiving an award, flirting with old ladies, schmoozing with the competition, and throwing his money around.  We flash forward a dozen years later, when the flowers and money have all dried up.  He wants to find a way back into his family’s life.  He’s a cautious driver and never had a ticket in seventy-five years.  Why not run drugs for the cartel?  

After a few runs, Earl is rolling in the dough and makes the mistake of throwing his money around.  How much is he pulling in?  Well, when his local VFW has a grease fire in the kitchen, not only does Earl pay for the damages, he’s able to renovate the place AND get Mollie B. Polka to play at the grand re-opening!  We’re talking some serious cash here.

Earl is such a likeable guy that he immediately wins over the drug dealers.  He even asks about their family and tries to impart words of wisdom to them.  The big cheese (Andy Garcia) even invites him to his mansion for a big shindig where Earl has a threesome with two hot babes.  (Oh, it’s his second threesome of the movie by the way.  Drug mules apparently get a LOT of action; even if they are ninety.)  Heck, even when the goons rough Earl up, they sort of feel bad about it.  It’s just a testament to the sharp writing and Clint’s deft performance that Earl remains someone you root for, even if you don’t quite agree with his job description or what comes out of his mouth.

The supporting cast is superb.  There are no small parts or actors here.  Bradley Cooper is excellent as the DEA agent trying to take down the cartel, and Laurence Fishburne is equally fine as his stern, but supportive boss.  Cooper has a lot of fine moments with his partner, Michael Pena, who gets a few laughs and steals a couple of scenes along the way.  Dianne Wiest, Taissa Farmiga, and Alison Eastwood (playing who else?  Clint’s daughter) all do a great job as Earl’s long-suffering family.

The movie really belongs to Clint.  I was hoping Gran Torino would’ve been his last acting role because it served as a perfect summation of his acting career.  The Mule, like the title character himself, shows he’s still full of surprises.