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The Mule

The Mule

Crime · Drama · 2018

Earl Stone, a man in his eighties, is broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough, but, unbeknownst to Earl, he's just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. He does so well that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates.

Movie details

The Mule

“Nobody runs forever”

2018 Crime · Drama 1h 56m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

Earl Stone, a man in his eighties, is broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough, but, unbeknownst to Earl, he's just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. He does so well that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Mule?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Highwaymen

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Crime · 2019

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Bound by Honor

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Charley Varrick

Crime · 1973

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Clint Eastwood

Written by

Nick Schenk

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Earl Stone

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper

Agent Colin Bates

Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne

Special Agent in Charge

Michael Peña

Michael Peña

Agent Treviño

Dianne Wiest

Dianne Wiest

Mary

Andy Garcia

Andy Garcia

Latón

Ignacio Serricchio

Ignacio Serricchio

Julio

Court is in session

Put The Mule on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.