"The Mule" released in the USA last month and reviews are starting to emerge. Clint Eastwood has had a long inning in Hollywood and is active even at an age when many tend to take it easy and dwell on past memories. “The Mule” is the 40th film that the 88-year-old veteran directed. Clint plays his first leading role in a decade in the movie, which is possibly one of America’s greatest road Movies.

ABC AU reports the story revolves around the activities of Earl Stone, a Korean War veteran who is into his 90s. Clint Eastwood portrays the role. Earl is a champion gardener and loves to grow daylilies.

However, he is out of touch with the needs of modern day society, his domestic life is in tatters and he becomes a drifter. Ultimately, he lands up as a trafficker for a Mexican Drug Cartel before the law catches up with him.

How the story evolves

Nick Schenk, famous for his “Gran Torino” wrote the story of “The Mule” for the screen. It draws inspiration from a true-life story. Clint Eastwood directs the film and enacts the role of Earl Stone. Others in the cast are Dianne Wiest (Earl’s ex-wife Mary), Eastwood’s real-life daughter, Alison (Earl’s daughter Iris) and the duo of Bradley Cooper and Michael Pena who are DEA agents and are determined to end the smuggling operation.

The idea of a 90-year-old involved with a drug trafficking cartel is unbelievable.

The old man begins with a vintage Ford pick-up, and graduates to a glistening black Lincoln truck. The reason for the war veteran to turn lawbreaker was due to his financial troubles. It was a perfect cover because no one would suspect an aged person like him of smuggling cocaine. Earl sums up his philosophy of life by comparing it with daylilies.

He says - "They bloom just one day, then that's the end of it."

The movie is in a genre of its own

According to The Guardian this week, Clint Eastwood’s movie “The Mule” proves that talent never dies. The movie is in a genre of its own, and is one worth watching. It has a story to tell, a story that one can relate to and is different from the action-oriented movies or movies that rely on animation to keep the audience hooked.

It is the story of a prizewinning horticulturalist who fell into bad days when he was unable to face online competition. That propelled him into the world of drug trafficking and he took on a new identity.

“A fistful of dollars" (1964), “For a few dollars more" (1965), “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966), “Dirty Harry" (1971), and “The 15:17 to Paris" (2018) are some of Clint Eastwood’s all-time great movies. It is possible that “The Mule” could join the list.
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