A 90-year-old horticulturist, down on his luck takes a job as a Mexican cartel drug mule.

The Mule is a film with excellent credentials. Clint Eastwood was thought to have retired as far as the dual role of actor/director goes with 2008’s excellent Gran Torino. Since then he has only appeared as an actor in 2012’s Trouble with the Curve and has gone on to his biggest box office success for 2014’s American Sniper. Taking on the duel role again for a film penned by Gran Torino’s Nick Schenk and filling out the supporting cast with stellar actors including Bradley Cooper, Michael Pena, Laurence Fishburne, Andy Garcia and Dianne Wiest sets a level of expectation.

Unfortunately though, The Mule is exceptionally flat. In its near 2 hour run time it never once hits home with any level of emotion. The opening set in 2012 when we see our protagonist at the height of his horticultural business ignoring his family seems twee, the drug running feels pedestrian with zero feeling of risk, the chasing DEA agents seem bored and the “spend time with your family” message is constantly explained to us rather than shown.

When all is said and done, you have to ask yourself why would the DEA be so excited to catch the 90-year-old drug mule and not the cartel members he works for?

A huge miss for Eastwood.