Two Mules for Sister Sara
Dir: Don Siegel
1970
***
Two Mules for Sister Sara is the second film that would see Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel team up for a succession of five successful movies in total. Written by Budd Boetticher, a renowned Westerns author, he had originally sold the script in the hope of directing it himself and filming it as a sort of re-imagining/sequel of 1957's Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison which would see Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr return in similar roles. When the script was re-sold, it was sensibly re-written with the brilliant Shirley MacLaine cast alongside Eastwood who would essentially be playing the silent and somewhat mysterious cowboy once more. Boetticher, who was friends with both Eastwood and Siegel, was unhappy with the finished version and asked the director how he could have produced such an awful film. Siegel replied that it was great waking up in the morning knowing that there was a paycheck in the mail to which Boetticher responded "It's a better feeling waking up in the morning and being able to look at yourself in the mirror". Personally, I agree with both sides of the argument. Two Mules for Sister Sara isn't a classic western but it's entertaining. The chemistry between the two leads isn't terrific but both deliver quality performances. The last third of the film isn't as exciting as the story had been building up to but I quite liked the very last scene. It's a very average Clint Eastwood western and a very average Shirley MacLaine comedy combined.