A masterful creative both in front of and behind the camera, Clint Eastwood has long been one of the most notable and legendary names in Hollywood. Many streamers like Max have been hosting their fair share of the star’s lengthy background for their subscribers to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes and now, FlixPatrol reports that his 2018 feature The Mule is sitting at the number two spot on the platform.
With an A-list lineup that includes some of the biggest names of recent years plus the man, the myth, and the legend himself, this crime drama – which is also directed by Eastwood – is an absolute must-see.
Pulling its story from the Sam Dolnik-penned 2014 New York Times article, “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old-Drug Mule,” the movie centers around a drug mule named Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood) who is based on the real-life Leo Sharp. The movie sees a down-on-his-luck Earl finding no other way out of debt aside from picking up a job as a drug runner for a Mexican cartel.
An immediate success, Earl quickly rises through the ranks to become one of the group’s biggest earners. But, his success may be his downfall as Earl finds himself the primary target of a DEA agent hoping to bring the entire cartel down.
The title takes audiences on a complicated journey following Clint Eastwood’s main character and presses the question of how far would you go to save your family and your way of life. In the true story, Leo Sharp was a WWII veteran who saw no other way to save his farm from foreclosure than to team up with the dangerous Mexican cartel to make some fast cash.
Along with Clint Eastwood, The Mule also stars Bradley Cooper, Dianne Wiest, Alison Eastwood, Taissa Farmiga, Andy García, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Peña. Like its main character, the film was also a big earner, raking in a worldwide box office total of $173.6 million against its budget of $50 million. The movie opened alongside other highly-anticipated titles including Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Mortal Engines, easily holding its own against the competition.
As for Clint Eastwood, The Mule is one of the multi-hyphenated performer’s more recent productions. Over the course of more than seven decades, the iconic actor has starred in a slew of projects, flawlessly jumping from genre to genre but always managing to keep his rough n’ tumble attitude shining through each piece.
From Dirty Harry to The Outlaw Josey Wales, Every Which Way but Loose, Escape to Alcatraz, and Space Cowboy, Clint Eastwood has shined over and over again – and that’s just through acting appearances.
Making his directorial debut in 1971, Clint Eastwood broke ground on what would be another profitable and lengthy venture in the entertainment business with Play Misty for Me – in which he also starred. This move lit a fire under Eastwood to further pursue his passion for directing, something that would carry him to numerous Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe wins over the next several decades.
From Unforgiven to Million Dollar Baby to Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood has dazzled his audiences time and time again.
After the success of The Mule, Clint Eastwood dipped into another true story via the 2019 feature, Richard Jewell, which he produced and directed. Most recently, he doubled down once again for the Western flick Cry Macho. That was back in 2021, and since then, things have been pretty quiet for the cowboy legend.
All good things must come to an end and at the age of 93, Clint Eastwood has announced that he’ll be teaming up with Warner Bros. for his final project. Titled Juror No. 2, the legal drama is said to be led by Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette. As of right now, it sounds like Eastwood will only be working on the project in a directorial capacity.
As of right now, no release window has been revealed for when audiences can expect to see Clint Eastwood’s final project make its way to the big screen. In the meantime, fans of the Hollywood legend can head to Netflix to catch The Mule where it’s now streaming in the number two position.