The Mule Blu-ray Review

The Mule Blu-ray Review

Front of Case with Slipcover

STORY

The Mule stars 88-year-old Clint Eastwood as Earl Stone, a man struggling financially who has already suffered through the loss of not only his flower farm but is estranged from his family as well. One day Earl is approached by an individual who lets him know that he can make a decent chunk of change by driving for an associate of his. Earl decides to give it a try and little does he know that he is actually delivering cargo for a Mexican drug cartel. What was supposed to be only one run ends up turning into more than a few.

Earl seems a bit out of touch with the modern world and grouchy, even going out of his way to to let it be known that he has some old school thoughts and doesn't have a filter. Eastwood's performance is great and it reminds me a bit of his Gran Torino performance, he shows the layers that only a character who has lived over 80 years can develop. We even get to see Eastwood's signature scowl. Did I mention that Eastwood once again is pulling triple duty? Not only is he starring but he is also directing and producing. Directing, producing, and starring at this point in his career is outstanding. Kudos to Mr. Eastwood for continuing to work on his craft.

Of course where there are people on the wrong side of the law there are people on the right side of the law. On the right side of the law we find DEA agents Stone (Bradley Cooper) and Treviño (Michael Peña) trying to bring the cartel down. At points I forgot that Cooper was in this movie, but I attribute that to a nuanced performance. You can see similarities between his character's career and that of Eastwood's. Peña does tend to get a little lost in the grand scheme of things but he did bring some comic relief as he usually does. Laurence Fishburne and Andy Garcia round out what is an exceptional cast.

Back of Case with Slipcover

VIDEO

The Mule was shot with a 2.40.1 ratio and looked outstanding on my television. The lines looked crisp and the colors looked great. Of course this isn't the type of movie that has a ton of eye candy but it still delivers some great cinematography that I enjoyed. There is one night time scene where it did look a bit washed out but other than that it looked more than adequate. I am reviewing a standard Blu-ray copy so it is presented in 1080p, but I have watched 4K Ultra HD movies that didn't look as good as this. I'm sure the 4K Ultra HD edition only improves on already great picture quality. As far as video is concerned there are no issues here, it delivers.

AUDIO

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix does a fine job. Keep in mind that this movie does not contain many action scenes so the sound isn't something you would be extremely interested in. It did sound exceptionally well however in a scene that takes place in mansion where they are partaking in some sport shooting. The best scenes as far as sound is concerned all took place at the mansion, including a lively party. Conversations between characters sound natural and are easy to dissect, even with Eastwood's occasional growls. Like I said, the movie doesn't lend itself to too many scenes where the sound is crucial, but it more than delivers when it needs to.

Blu-ray Disc

EXTRAS

Not too many extras unfortunately for those of you who love watching deleted scenes and featurretes. 

• Making of The Mule" Nobody Runs Forever: Join actor/producer/director Clint Eastwood and the all-star cast and crew of The Mule as Eastwood makes his bold return to the big screen.
• Toby Keith "Don't Let the Old Man In" Music Video

LANGUAGE 

• English, French, and Spanish

SUBTITLES

• English SDH, French, and Spanish

FINAL THOUGHTS

As a massive Clint Eastwood fan I thoroughly enjoyed the Mule and as far as the Blu-ray goes, it is definitely worth picking up. If you're like me and like to look into movies a bit more after watching them then make sure to check out the article that this movie is based on. It is definitely worth your time.

The Mule arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD on April 2nd, 2019 from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and is available on Digital now.

TRAILER

FULL DETAILS

4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD Street Date: April 2

EST Street Date: March 19

DVD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French

4K UHD and BD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French

DVD Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Canadian French

4K UHD and BD Subtitles: English, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Canadian French

Running Time: 116 minutes

Rating: Rated R for language throughout and brief sexuality/nudity

DVD: DLBY/SURR   DLBY/DGTL [CC]

4K UHD and Blu-ray: DTS HD-MA