The Mule: the story behind Clint Eastwood’s drama is an interesting one, preposterous as only true stories can be; but as it gets mixed up with cheap sentimentality and heavy stereotype (most of which comes up through stuffy and stiff dialogue), the whole film becomes less enticing. It has, nevertheless, an easy and pleasurable pace, thanks to the good work of editor Joel Cox. The same can be said, in general, about the acting. It’s for the most part perfectly capable and low-key: Eastwood himself is in good shape, playing the smart old geezer with a good level of authenticity; no one else from the interesting cast leaves much of a mark, neither negatively nor positively. The aesthetics in general are square, professional, unremarkable, but cinematographer Yves Bélanger pulls off some nice shots.