| Major Cast | |
|---|---|
| Shirley MacLaine | as Sara |
| Clint Eastwood | as Hogan |
| Manolo Fábregas | as Colonel Beltran |
| Alberto Morin | as General LeClaire |
| Armando Silvestre | as 1st American |
| John Kelly | as 2nd American |
| Enrique Lucero | as 3rd American |
| David Povall | as Juan (cantina attendant) |
| Ada Carrasco | as Juan's Mother |
| Pancho Córdova | as Juan's Father |
| José Chávez | as Horacio |
| Pedro Galván | as Pedro Galván |
| José Ángel Espinosa 'Ferrusquilla' | as José Ángel Espinosa 'Ferrusquilla' |
| Aurora Muñoz | as Aurora Muñoz |
| Xavier Marc | as Xavier Marc |
| Hortensia Santoveña | as Hortensia Santoveña |
| Rosa Furman | as Rosa Furman |
| José Torvay | as José Torvay |
| Margarito Luna | as Margarito Luna |
| Javier Massé | as Javier Massé |
| MPAA Rating: | PG |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures |
| Production Companies: | |
| Release Date (US): | 6/16/1970 |
| Domestic Box Office: | $? |
| Foreign Box Office: | $? |
| Production Budget: | $? (Est.) |
Heading south across the Mexican countryside, a lone rider chances upon three bandidos molesting a nearly naked woman. This is Hogan, on his way to meet Colonel Beltran's resistance fighters. Looking down at them from a high bluff, he invites them to leave the woman and ride off. They invite him to join the party, but it's only to gain time for them to find cover. Hogan shoots two; the other hides behind the woman, pinning Hogan down behind a boulder. He pulls a stick of dynamite out of his vest, lights the fuse, tosses it over the rock. The third bandido panics. Hogan guns him down as he runs, then casually strolls off the bluff and removes the fuse from the dynamite. He tells the woman to get dressed and turns to robbing the dead men.
When the woman reappears, Hogan is astonished to see her wearing the garb of a nun.1 She assures him that as a nun she can travel safely in Mexico where other women cannot. He reminds her of what just happened and offers to convey her to safety in a French garrison. But it seems she has been working against the French and would find no safety there.
Shortly they have to avoid a French patrol. Hogan's wilderness skills let them do this, but the woman, Sister Sara, shows some survival skills of her own, using the rattle of a snake Hogan killed to keep the French from entering her hiding place. They learn from some campesinos that the French garrison at Santa Maria is awaiting a train bringing supplies. Hogan resolves to blow up a trestle as the train crosses it. This fits the deal he has with Colonel Beltran. But on the way to meet the train, he takes a Yaqui arrow in his shoulder.2 Sara drives off the superstitious tribe with her cross, removes the arrow, and then climbs the trestle to place a bundle of dynamite. Hogan, despite his wound, is able to set it off with a rifle shot.
Finally they make contact with Colonel Beltran, whose aim is to strike a blow for Mexico's freedom by capturing the French garrison at Chihuahua. This will be challenging with only his 40 men; dynamite would help. After some argument, Hogan agrees to cross the border to buy some. Sara collects jewelry from the villagers to pay for it.
They meet up at an abandoned church that overlooks the French fort. Overcoming some obstacles, they battle and conquer the garrison. Hogan then finds there is no obstacle to getting what he most desires.
I'd forgotten how bloody this film is. Several men die amid splashes of fake blood, including a rebel executed by a French firing squad, and one troop ends with a machete embedded in his face. This is not a complaint, merely an observation.
Eastwood and MacLaine deliver credible performances, bringing in some understated comedy along the way. Plot twists and plenty of action hold the viewer's interest, and the film — shot in Mexico — provides gorgeous exteriors. I especially enjoyed the opening sequence where a variety of local wildlife is featured. The musical score by Ennio Morricone improves the picture. There are extended dialogues in some places; I didn't find these dull, but others might. And parts of the final battle seem contrived. But this is a Clint Eastwood vehicle. I consider it an above-average western film.
My Rating:
8 out of 10
Capsule review: Two Mules for Sister Sara is pure western entertainment, loaded with gunfights and explosions. Gorgeous Mexican exterior shots and a few plot twists put it a cut above average.
| IMDB Rating: 7.0 | Raters: 5,385 |
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