The Mule: reviews

What the critics say average 6.8 from 6 outlets

• 8.3 IndiewireDavid Ehrlich This soulful and deeply satisfying film - a fitting swansong, if ever there was one - makes a compelling argument that change is always possible, and that the path we?re on is never as narrow as the highway makes it look. Read
• 8.0 The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthy Less cranky and inciting than 'Gran Torino' but persuasively expressive in conveying an old man's regrets along with his desire to improve himself even in late age, The Mule shows that Eastwood's still got it, both as a director and actor. Read
• 7.5 Entertainment WeeklyChris Nashawaty 'The Mule' fits the 88-year-old Eastwood perfectly. Not just because there probably aren?t many roles for actors of his age out there, but also because its lack of judgment makes sense for a star who?s always been as willing to play anti-heroes as heroes. Read
• 7.0 Rolling StonePeter Travers 'The Mule' is more character study than "Dirty Harry: The Emeritus Years." It's the detours on the road - the stops along the way that show an old man dealing with the dim possibilities of change near the end of his life - that reveal this drug-mule-in-winter drama as a deeply personal reckoning. Read
• 6.0 EmpireChris Hewitt So insubstantial it may not actually exist, 'The Mule' is very much the latest in a long line of minor Clints. But it might help pass the time on long journeys. Just make sure you don?t watch and drive. Read
• 4.0 The GuardianBenjamin Lee As a drama, it?s frustratingly insubstantial, failing to provide enough of an emotional centre or a convincing payoff. Read