The Mule

**The Mule** is a 2018 film starring Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest and Andy Garcia, directed by Eastwood, written by Nick Schenk and produced by Eastwood, Dan Friedkin, Jessica Meier, Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera and Bradley Thomas.

The film was a financial failure as it generated a loss of $12 million.

## Plot

In 2005, Korean War veteran and famous horticulturalist Earl Stone misses his daughter Iris's wedding so he can receive a lifetime award celebrating his professional accomplishments. Enraged that her father once again chose his career over her, Iris stops speaking to him and his wife Mary files for divorce.

Twelve years later, Earl visits his granddaughter Ginny to attend her wedding rehearsal, not telling his family that the only reason he's there is because his flower farming business has gone bankrupt, and his home has just been foreclosed on by the bank. While there, he is spotted by a member of a drug cartel who had been tipped off by one of Earl's former employees as to his financial problems. Earl accepts the gangster's offer and becomes a "mule", transporting cocaine through Illinois for the cartel.

Facing little suspicion due to his age, ethnicity, spotless criminal history, and strict adherence to driving laws, Earl is soon entrusted with huge amounts of drugs, the delivery of which earns him thousands of dollars. Over time, Earl gets more involved with the cartel and becomes one of their best mules. With the money he buys a new truck, buys back his home, and even pays for badly needed renovations on behalf of the local VFW post (which had been damaged in a fire). Earl even pays for Ginny's wedding and tuition so she can attend college.

Meanwhile, Special Agent Colin Bates moves to the Chicago DEA office and is assigned Agent Trevino as his partner. They are tasked with narrowing in on the cartel's deliveries to Chicago. Bates and Trevino find an informant from within the cartel and start looking for their most profitable driver, Tata (grandfather). The head of the cartel, Laton, is overjoyed with Earl's success and invites him to a party. Earl mistakenly believes that the cartel considers him their friend. Things take a turn for the worse when Laton is assassinated and replaced by another gangster, Gustavo. Gustavo is more bloodthirsty and controlling than Laton and demands Earl be kept under tighter control.

In the middle of a $12 million cocaine shipment, Earl winds up in a diner with Bates. Neither man recognizes the other, and the elderly Earl gives Bates advice to try and mend fences with his wife and not make the mistakes Earl has made. Earl then leaves to conclude the delivery of the shipment but then gets a call from Ginny, who informs him that Mary is gravely ill. Earl initially tells Ginny there's nothing he can do until she rebukes him for his perceived lack of care. Earl relents and disobeys Gustavo, making peace with Mary and staying with her in her final moments. Mary dies peacefully days later. After attending the funeral and finally reconciling with Iris and the rest of his family, Earl resumes the delivery as both the DEA and the cartel close in on him.

The cartel's enforcers catch him and upon discovering that he disobeyed them to care for his wife, they call Gustavo to request leniency. Gustavo agrees to this demand and allows Earl to continue. Earl proceeds to the drop point but the DEA agents finally catch up and arrest him; Bates has a pleasant aside with Earl before sending him away. In court, Earl's lawyer starts to give an impassioned plea, asking for mercy for Earl due to his age and military service. However, a clearly guilt-ridden Earl interrupts her to plead guilty to all charges and is promptly sent to federal prison. His family lend him their support and promise to visit him. In prison, he returns to horticulture.