Two Mules For Sister Sara - Kino Lorber Studio Classics 4K UHD

Much like my other recent Eastwood 4K reviews, I don't have anything new to add for Don Siegel's Two Mules for Sister Sara now that we can enjoy it in 4K. I still have a blast every time I pop this one on. I know some folks don't care for it since it's essentially Siegel making his best impressive on a Spaghetti Western, but I dig it. I enjoy it largely because of the great chemistry between Eastwood and MacLaine and it's a genuinely fun Western. Neither Siegel's or Eastwood's best partnership, but a demand entertaining partnering. Here's what I had to say about this film four years ago: 

After rescuing a nun by the name of Sister Sara (Shirley MacLaine), Hogan (Clint Eastwood) signs up for a whole heap of trouble in the Mexican desert. Already scheming to help destroy a French garrison for the Mexican resistance fighters, Hogan soon finds that having a nun traveling with him can be a blessing… and a curse depending on how you look at it. Especially a nun like Sister Sara who is a hell of a lot more than what she seems. 

Having worked together well on Coogan's Bluff, Eastwood and Don Siegel would cement a lasting working relationship that would continue with The Beguiled, Dirty Harry, Two Mules for Sister Sarah, and culminate with the classic prison break thriller Escape From Alcatraz. As a mentor to Eastwood as he started to move towards producing and directing his own films, Eastwood would pay a fitting tribute to Siegel by including him in his director's graveyard in High Plains Drifter. 

With Two Mules For Sister Sara, we see Eastwood bring his star-defining swagger with Siegel's penchant for suspense and action filmmaking all playing catchup to Shirley MacLaine's natural sass. There's a reason she's top-billed when the credits roll. It may be an action/adventure/western - but it's her movie. Her charisma and screen presence plays to upend Eastwood's traditional leading man role. He may make a lot of plans and dig his heels in a time or two, but she's the one who gets to call the shots when it comes time. Their stressed interplay and sexual tension punch some great comedic undertones to this little opus. 

Much of the film plays like a classic road movie. Our seemingly main character picks up an unexpected passenger and is coerced into a wild and crazy adventure. If they were in a car instead of a couple of horses and a mule, they'd be zipping through Route 66 meeting all sorts of colorful characters and likely destroying a few roadside attractions in the process. It's a terrific framing device for this adventure into Mexico. As the action is relatively light for the first two-thirds of the film, it relies on the interplay between Eastwood and MacLaine to set the stage for a blistering final action sequence. By the time the revolutionaries are attacking the French garrison, we're fully invested in our characters and their relationship. And just in the nick of time, we're given one heck of a great twist to add a little extra salt to the arrow wound Eastwood earns in the process - all the while setting the stakes a little bit higher. 

Plastered with an iconic Ennio Morricone score, Two Mules For Sister Sara is the kind of Western out to have fun with itself but doesn't take the genre for granted. It doesn't rely on old stereotypes or genre conventions to skate by and be a breezy cast-off piece of fluff. Instead, the film likes to take a languid leisurely pace to the point you forget it's an action film in places. Which is just fine because what you're seeing is so enjoyable. By the time a wounded and horribly drunk Hogan has to shoot a stick of dynamite to blow up a bridge with the help of Sara's shoulder as a bench rest, you forget that nothing has really happened for about half an hour. 

When you list off Eastwood's impressive catalog of Westerns, most folks don't include Two Mules For Sister Sara in the pack. The problem there is Eastwood has so many amazing entries it's the easiest to forget in the heat of the moment. But all you have to do is wait for that opening credit music and that first gunfight where Hogan and Sara meet for the first time and you'll quickly remember why this is one of Eastwood's - and MacLaine's - best. It's often criticized and I think unfairly for being a Hollywood Spaghetti Western knock-off. Yeah, the Morricone score lends to that vibe, but the rest of it is its own beast. It looks and feels more like a Don Siegel movie above all other conventions. 

Two Mules for Sister Sara is full of great action without losing focus on having a story. It's got romance and drama without being stuck in melodramatic mud. It's funny without wasting time punching for easy jokes. You take a great director, two amazing actors in their prime, and toss in a great script by Albert Maltz and Budd Boetticher and you have the perfect ingredients for one hell of an entertaining show. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
KLSC rounds up two discs for Two Mules for Sister Sara with a new 4K UHD + Blu-ray set. The International Cut arrives on 4K pressed on a Region Free BD100 disc. The Domestic Cut retains the same Region A BD50 disc from four years ago and has not been updated. The two discs are housed in a standard black case with identical slipcover. The insert art is reversible revealing the alternate poster art. Each disc loads to a static image main menu with standard navigation options. 

Four years ago I was curious what a full 4K UHD HDR version of Two Mules for Sister Sara would look like and now I know! Essentially it's the 2020 disc in full 2160p with Dolby Vision and HDR10. Meaning, a lot of the fine details may be very nearly identical, but in close-up and middle shots, the extra clarity really shines through. I was already really impressed with what was done for this title four years ago, so it's a little harder to be "wowed" when the range of improvement isn't as big a leap this time. But that's not to say this isn't better. Again those close-ups look great, the expansive scenery is often beautiful, and you have to hand it to the production design team for capturing late 1800s Mexico with amazing sets and costumes. Fine film grain is retained throughout for a nice cinematic appearance without appearing too noisy or intrusive.

The bigger pickup I feel is the dutiful Dolby Vision grading which maintains that desirable yellow/brown rustic Western appearance while letting primaries pop nicely. I also felt like that rusty red speckled vest Eastwood wears through the film came through cleaner, I'd never really noticed the pattern before this viewing. I also thought black levels looked a fair bit better as well, namely the first night when Eastwood and MacLaine are eating the snake. The 2020 disc just barely avoided crush and now with HDR there's a bit better separation between MacLaine's black habit and the surrounding darkness.

So while this probably isn't the greatest A to B upgrade, it's a solid upgrade of an already excellent disc. What might have made this effort more praiseworthy is if the Domestic Cut also received the same attention. I don't know the legalities of why that isn't so for this release. Given options I prefer the International Cut anyway, but I know completionists out there would enjoy this set better if both versions scored the 2160p HDR treatment. 

And similar to the other recent Eastwood 4K upgrades, Two Mules For Sister Sara enjoys a new DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix for the International Cut in 4K while also keeping the DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. Impressively enough I enjoyed this 5.1 track quite a bit. I'm usually a little weary of this sort of sonic upgrade if the original audio was perfectly good, but this mix finds clever ways to expand the soundscape with some great imaging. While a lot of the film is mostly MacLaine and Eastwood in the desert talking keeping the mix in the Front/Center channels, when the action kicks in it's a well-rounded affair. For the gunfights, big explosions, and the film's wild climax, the surround channels really enjoy a nice workout. It did sound like some of the bigger effects might have popped a few new enhanced effects, but nothing too crazy sounding or off-putting. Honestly, that could be more because I wasn't used to hearing these effects in the right/left or surround channels than they were actually redone or add-in enhancements. With that, I think I still like the included 2.0 track the best. I'm just so used to hearing it that way now that in 5.1 I don't feel like I really gained anything - but I certainly didn't lose anything either. The nice thing to report is regardless of setup you have two great options. 

On the bonus features side, we have all of the same bonus features from the 2020 discs carried over with a new audio commentary exclusive to the 4K disc. I mean this all makes sense since the included Domestic Cut Blu-ray is the exact same disc from four years ago so none of the extras are missing there. The new commentary features Justin Humphreys who provided the new track for The Eiger Sanction and it's another solid and informative listen. So on top of the new A/V for that International Cut, you get another good reason to watch the film again after you listen to the Alex Cox commentary. Again I'm including the Domestic Cut as a bonus feature since it genuinely is the lesser version of the film (in my opinion at least). 

4K UHD Disc - International Cut

• New Audio Commentary featuring Justin Humphreys
• Audio Commentary featuring Alex Cox
• At Hime with Clint: Vintage Interview with Clint Eastwood
• Poster and Image Gallery

Blu-ray Disc - Domestic Cut

• Domestic Cut (HD 1:45:00)
• Theatrical Trailer
• Radio Spots
• TV Spots
• KLSC Clint Eastwood Trailer Gallery

I know some don't like Two Mules for Sister Sara - I personally don't understand why. I enjoy the hell out of this film with Eastwood and MacLaine enjoying some enjoyable spark as bickering travelers with obvious personal chemistry. Eastwood made some of his best films with Siegel behind the camera, and while this film might be something of an imitation-grade Spaghetti Western, it's wildly entertaining with great performances and dynamite action scenes. Now KLSC gives fans a reason to reevaluate their collections with a new release of the film. Offering the (better) International Cut on 4K, we see a nice uptick in overall visual quality complete with a solid new DTS-HD MA 5.1 track and a new audio commentary too. For some out there I imagine the sticking point for upgrading will be the Domestic Cut returning only in 1080p. With that, if you haven't picked up any version of Two Mules for Sister Sara, KLSC's latest 4K/Blu-ray set is the easy winner. Highly Recommended