With «The Mule,» Clint Eastwood has nothing left to prove

Cinema Wednesdays - Jonas Follonier

Ten years on Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood (88) returns to the screen with The Mule, which he also directed. Spotlight on a masterpiece, a must-see.

Earl Stone is an octogenarian who has spent his life in horticulture. Orchids are his passion—so much so that he has devoted all his time to them, at the expense of his family. His daughter hasn’t spoken to him in years, and his ex-wife is also completely devastated. Broke and lonely, the old man takes a odd job that, on the surface, seems to require nothing more than driving. Except that his trunk is filled with cocaine, and he becomes—at first without realizing it—a drug mule for one of Mexico’s largest drug cartels. What follows for Earl is a series of about ten runs, each more dangerous than the last, and a stay with the big boss of the cartel, prostitutes and Viagra included, a game of hide-and-seek with the FBI and, above all, an attempt to make up for the past with those closest to him.

Beyond good and evil

So, inevitably, it is once again the moral ambiguity of human beings—that gray area—that Clint Eastwood portrays. The octogenarian had magnificently remained true to this principle by directing the biopic Sully, starring Tom Hanks in the lead role. But, contrary to what has been reported, the character is not «doing evil for the sake of good»: The Mule It deals neither with immorality nor with morality. The film deals with amorality, and it is itself amoral. A complete absence of morality, a total presence of cinema. The first stroke of genius worth noting is the way the director manages to blur the lines between good and evil, much like in the spaghetti westerns: the mafia and the police sometimes use the same methods. We won’t say any more than that.

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Contrary to what some might say, Earl Stone’s lines aren’t «Republican»—they’re simply American. «It’s really nice to be able to help some black folks»: with these lines—which are effective because they’re delivered with humanity and self-deprecating humor—Clint Eastwood isn’t just making a movie for racist America, but on racist America, as Jean-Marc Lalanne so aptly noted on the show Le Masque et la Plume on France Inter. As for terms like «fags» and «lesbians on motorcycles,» we all know that good old Clint can’t help but slip them into his movies. Ironically, the mule is nicknamed «Tata» by the cartel. So let’s put Clint Eastwood’s political sensibilities aside for a moment.

«An artist's film»

There's no politics in The Mule, since it’s all about art. First of all, we’re dealing with a slow film. This choice to feature slow shots and dialogues that last more than just a few seconds is a testament to the finest taste in an era when cinema aspires to be as fast as a high-speed train. This slow pace—which should not be confused with length—allows the camera to linger on North American landscapes that blend seamlessly with Clint Eastwood’s captivating face.

Furthermore, the cinematography is subtle, thereby reflecting a different kind of American cinema than that of the mainstream blockbusters that we have been able to deal with in recent weeks. The Mule is a gem in which cross-fading—a technique sometimes considered outdated, which involves creating a smooth transition between two shots—is not a dirty word. Add some music to it country and folk rock to give every music lover worth their salt an orgasm and a font western for the chapter titles, and you have what is known as a masterpiece, undoubtedly surpassing the excellent Gran Torino ten years ago.

The Mule It also stands out as an artist’s film because you have to be an artist to handle comedy with such tact. Or rather, wit, since that’s what suits this whimsical style so typical of Clint Eastwood’s films. «Has anyone ever told you that you look like James Stewart?» asks the FBI agent played by Bradley Cooper to an aging Clint, whom we see elsewhere in the film learning to text with a Mexican cartel tough guy and slathering Lip Balm on his lips while his «colleagues» settle a score with guns.

Once upon a time Clint Eastwood

Ultimately, this film isn't just directed by Clint Eastwood and stars him in the lead role—it's also about him. Because while, of course, The Mule Since the film deals primarily with the theme of forgiveness, it’s worth noting that the actor’s daughter (Alison Eastwood) plays his daughter in the film. The question of whether or not to give a second chance to a father who never had time for his family because he prioritized work is thus embodied in reality in a very powerful way. And these words spoken by the character’s wife as she is about to die are even more moving:

«You have been the love of my life and the pain of my life. And I want you to know that the only thing that matters to me is that you're here with me right now.»

This film is Clint Eastwood, insofar as the melancholic authority he has come to embody merges with the authoritative melancholy of this cinema. And, really, why is Eastwood such a great actor? The answer is simple: it’s because he isn’t acting. Clint has presence. And that’s all there is to it. So we won’t end on a somber note, as many critics have done. Far from being a swan song, The Mule marks yet another high point in the career of a man who, while certainly elderly, we hope will live for many years to come.

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Photo credit: © Warner Bros