The Mule (2018)

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Movie
German title The Mule
Original title The Mule
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2018
length 117 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Clint Eastwood
script Nick Schenk
production Clint Eastwood,
Dan Friedkin ,
Jessica Meier ,
Tim Moore ,
Kristina Rivera ,
Bradley Thomas
music Arturo Sandoval
camera Yves Bélanger
cut Joel Cox
occupation

The Mule is a thriller by Clint Eastwood , which was released in US cinemas on December 14, 2018, and in German cinemas on January 31, 2019.

action

In 2017, Earl Stone had to file for bankruptcy at almost ninety years of age and his house was to be foreclosed. He has grown and sold daylilies his entire life, but neglected his family in the process. His wife Mary has separated from him and since he missed his daughter's wedding , she no longer speaks to him.

At his granddaughter's engagement party, he receives a job offer from a guest he does not know: He is supposed to drive his old truck into the assembly hall of a tire shop . Some Mexicans, some of whom are armed, are waiting for him there, placing a sports bag on the loading area and giving him a hotel as the destination address. There he should put the car keys in the glove compartment and go to his room for an hour. So it happens, and when he returns he finds a sizable wad of dollar bills in the glove compartment. Actually he wants to leave it at this trip, but when he finds his favorite bar closed because it is half burned down, he sets off again. In the meantime he has also bought a new, black truck.

Meanwhile, Colin Bates of the DEA has started an investigation and recruited Luis Rocha to work as an informant for the drug cartel. This provides Bates and his partner with information about drug handling points, routes and drivers.

Earl has now become one of the most reliable drug couriers because of his unremarkable behavior. On his route he pauses to eat or takes detours. The cartel boss Laton initially has Earl monitored, but then invites him to his hacienda and sends young women to his room for the night. A little later, Laton is shot and Gustavo takes his place. This pulls the reins in the cartel more sharply and does not tolerate "extra tours". Gustavo and two of his gorillas drive Earl into a lonely forest and intimidate Earl. They show him a dead person in the trunk who did not follow the instructions.

The DEA also became aware of Earl because Agent Bates and his partner eavesdrop on the cartel's phone calls. After a night of in vain waiting, Bates runs into Earl in a diner, who is drinking his coffee there. Bates forgot about the wedding day and Earl tells him he's a master at forgetting family dates.

Earl disappears from the cartel’s surveillance for a week despite the warning because his ex-wife is dying. Through this action his daughter forgives him and the family blessing is restored. After the funeral, he drives on - with $ 12 million fabric on the back of the truck. As they drive on, the drug dealers discover Earl and his truck on the highway . They beat him up behind a truck stop. He should still bring his cargo to the destination and then be disposed of there. But the DEA intercepts him with a roadblock .

At the trial, he pleads "guilty" himself. In prison he can be seen tending daylilies.

Biographical

The film was inspired by a true story. Leonard Sharp , also known by the names Leo Sharp and El Tata, was an American World War II veteran and drug dealer for one arm of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel , for which he smuggled drugs across the border until he was found by DEA investigators with one in 2011 A three million dollar load of cocaine was caught. In court, Sharp's attorney obtained a fairly mild three-year sentence, citing his client's dementia as an extenuating factor. The Sharp case came into the public eye in 2014 through an article in the New York Times .

production

After Ruben Fleischer was originally intended for this, Clint Eastwood not only directed the film, but also produced it together with Dan Friedkin, Jessica Meier, Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera and Bradley Thomas. Eastwood also took on the lead role of Earl Stone, a 90-year-old drug courier whose character is based on the life story of Leo Sharp. A first draft of the script came from Nick Schenk , which was revised by Dave Holstein .

Bradley Cooper took on the role of investigator Colin Bates. Laurence Fishburne plays his supervisor at the DEA, Alison Eastwood took on the role of Stone's daughter Iris, Taissa Farmiga that of his granddaughter Ginny and Ignacio Serricchio that of a member of the Sinaloa cartel. Dianne Wiest and Michael Peña can also be seen in other roles .

The German synchronization was created from the dialogue director of Marianne United on behalf of the FFS Film & TV sync GmbH, Berlin. Jochen Striebeck speaks in the German version Earl Stone, Tobias Kluckert the investigator Colin Bates.

Production started in June 2018. In Augusta , the film was shot in front of the First Community Bank in early June 2018. In Augusta, Shaw's Sunshine Gardens, Saint Paul's Church and Bethlehem Advent Christian Church, the Augusta Museum of History, the Flatiron Bar, Clarke Pizza and Bambinelli's Italian Restaurant area were also shot. Further filming took place in the North Dekalb Mall in Decatur and in Las Cruces in New Mexico in July 2018. Filming in Augusta was completed at the end of July 2018. Yves Bélanger acted as cameraman .

The film music was composed by the jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, who had emigrated from Cuba .

The film celebrated its world premiere on December 10, 2018 at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles. The film was released in US cinemas on December 14, 2018 and in German cinemas on January 31, 2019.

reception

Age rating

In the USA, the film received an R rating from the MPAA , which corresponds to a rating of 17 and over. In Germany it was approved by the FSK from the age of 12. The statement of reasons for the release states: “ Drug trafficking or drug use is not glorified. In the end, the main character shows himself guilty and goes to jail. Occasionally there are scenes of violence (e.g. when a drug lord is shot), but these are brief and cautious. The focus is on the character portrait of the main character, the tensions between the old and new generations and a positive message about the value of family. "

Reviews and grossing results

The film has received quite positive reviews from critics so far and has won over 70 percent of Rotten Tomatoes critics .

The worldwide revenue from theatrical screenings so far amounts to 156.9 million US dollars.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for The Mule . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 186080 / K). Template: FSK / maintenance / type not set and Par. 1 longer than 4 characters
  2. ↑ Nick Evans: Clint Eastwood's The Mule Trailer Is Super Tense. In: cinemablend.com. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  3. ↑ www.nytimes.com (English).
  4. ↑ a b c Andreas Staben: No desire to retire: Clint Eastwood wants to play a 90-year-old drug courier in "The Mule". In: filmstarts.de, January 31, 2018.
  5. ↑ Justin Kroll: Bradley Cooper to Star With Clint Eastwood in 'The Mule'. In: Variety, May 18, 2018 (English).
  6. ↑ Borys Kit: Dianne Wiest, Michael Pena Join Clint Eastwood's 'The Mule' In: the Hollywoodreporter.com, June 4, 2018 (English).
  7. ↑ Clint Eastwood's “The Mule” Begins Production , BuisnessWire.com, June 4, 2018 (English).
  8. ↑ Clint Eastwood location preparation for filming “The Mule” , AugustaChronicleTV, August 5, 2018 (English).
  9. ↑ Clint Eastwood Leaving The Augusta Museum While Shooting A Movie “The Mule” , private video on YouTube , June 6, 2018 (English).
  10. ↑ Augusta Museum of History gets Hollywood makeover for “The Mule” , 12wrdw.com, June 18, 2018 (English).
  11. ↑ Yes, That Was Bradley Cooper and Clint Eastwood Filming Near Flatiron Bar , Eater Atlanta, June 29, 2018.
  12. ↑ Kevin K. Ping: Tammy Smith Casting - Atlanta , The Southern Casting Call, July 3, 2018 (English).
  13. ↑ Jacqueline Devine: Clint Eastwood movie 'The Mule' films scenes in downtown Las Cruces; police help out , El Paso Times, July 25, 2018.
  14. ↑ Maria Gomez: Movie starring Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper films in NM this month , bizjournals.com, July 10, 2018 (English).
  15. ↑ Shooting in Augusta for Eastwood film finished , Georgia Entertainment News, July 22, 2018.
  16. ↑ Arturo Sandoval Scoring Clint Eastwood's 'The Mule' , filmmusicreporter.com, October 19, 2018 (English).
  17. ↑ Clint Eastwood, Taissa Farmiga, and Diane Wiest Appear At The Mule World Premiere , Hollywood.com, accessed December 17, 2018.
  18. ↑ Release dates for Kinofilme Deutschland , insidekino.de, accessed on December 17, 2018 (English).
  19. ↑ Reasons for the release of The Mule . In: Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry. Accessed January 31, 2019.
  20. ↑ www.rottentomatoes.com (English).
  21. ↑ The Mule. In: boxofficemojo.com, accessed March 12, 2019.