12 Recent Movies That Really Shouldn't Have Been Boring

Clint Eastwood's directorial efforts have become increasingly workmanlike, for better or worse, over the last decade or so. The fact that he's churning out a new movie every year or two is still an impressive feat given that the guy turns 90 years old next month, but if feels like a long time since any of his output has been deemed vital or grabbed any headlines.

On paper, The Mule seemed like a shoo-in for awards season glory. Not only did it see Eastwood tackle an acting role for just the second time in a decade, but it's based on the kind of true-life tale that the Academy seems to love so much, following the tale of an elderly man shoehorned into running drugs for a Mexican cartel in order to make some extra cash.

There was so much potential to dive deeper into both the substance and the subtext of the story, and while it isn't a bad movie by any means, in the hands of another filmmaker The Mule could have been phenomenal. Instead, it just sort of exists as a predictable and formulaic crime drama that plays it so safe as to verge on dull, although Eastwood must have enjoyed it after getting to shoot multiple sex scenes with women less than a third of his age.