Two Mules for Sister Sara is another Western starring the great Clint Eastwood. This movie also stars another screen great in Shirley MacLaine (The Children’s Hour).  The film was co-written by Budd Boetticher, who was synonymous with Westerns, having directed plenty of them in the mid to late fifties.  At the helm for this film is director extraordinaire Don Siegel, the man who creeped us out with the immortal original version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and kept us on edge with other classic crime and Noir films including Dirty Harry, Telefon and The Lineup.

Taking place in the 1860s during the French Intervention in Mexico, a mercenary who calls himself Hogan (Eastwood) is on his way to do a mission, which is to capture a French fort. Along the journey he rescues a Nun, Sister Sara (MacLaine) who is about to be raped or worse from some bandits. After Hogan steps in and saves her, Sister Sara talks to him, saying that she has some troubles that she is fleeing from and is alone, Hogan takes her along for protection, and become traveling buddies. But unbeknownst to Hogan, she has a mission of her own, not to mention a few startling secrets, that she has not told him about which could cause some issues between them.

Two Mules for Sister Sara is another enjoyable Western with top of the line acting and direction. Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine have great chemistry together, and their characters will hold your interest. There is some romance that slowly develops between the two which adds to the enjoyment. The movie has some exciting slam-bang action in the film’s climax, loaded with shoot-outs and explosions galore. The cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa is also outstanding, capturing some beautiful shots of the countryside near Tlayacapan, Morelos, which is where the film was shot. Legendary composer Ennio Morricone composed the film’s catchy music, which you may hum along at some point!

Kino Lorber presents Two Mules for Sister Sara on Blu-ray and it is a dynamite release! Yes, the film has been released on Blu-ray before, but this release takes it to a whole new level. This is a 2-disc special edition which includes new 4K restorations of both the international and domestic cuts of the film. Each film is on its own dual-layered BD-50 Disc. The 4K restorations for both cuts look fantastic with deep rich colors, with reds and browns being the most dominant.

There are plenty of shots under broad daylight with some breathtaking scenery and those vivid blue skies which are as beautiful as it gets. Black levels are balanced with great shadow detail; nighttime scenes are clear. Flesh tones look accurate, displaying great details to the characters faces in close-ups. The only issue I saw was on the international cut was a slightly greenish hue, which only occurs at the start of the picture. This really did not bother me when watching. Otherwise, I was satisfied with how both transfers looked. Perfect? No, but certainly impressive!   

English DTS-HD master audio 2.0 is spot-on flawless as usual with the dialog, Ennio Morricone’s musical scores and action noises including explosions and gunshots being rich and clear without popping or hissing noises. Optional English Subtitles are available for this release.

The release offers a brand-new audio commentary by Filmmaker Alex Cox, who gives his interpretations of the film, and discusses the cast and crew members with some interesting behind the scenes tidbits. The commentary can be heard on the international cut.

A featurette called “At Home with Clint: Vintage Candid Interview with Clint Eastwood” is a 1970 interview with Clint Eastwood,who is relaxing at his home.

Other features include a poster and image gallery, 2 TV spots, 4 radio spots a new theatrical trailer in HD,

 Additionally, this package includes a limited-edition O-Card Slipcase, and reversible sleeve art for those who are into these bells and whistles.

There are trailers for this release as well, with all of them featuring Clint Eastwood. Trailers include Two Mules for Sister Sara, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Coogan’s Bluff, The Beguiled, Play Misty For Me, Joe Kidd, High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, and The Eiger Sanction. I would have liked to have seen a trailer for The Children’s Hour showcasing Shirley MacLaine, since she is also a major star in Two Mules for Sister Sara.

This is another superb release by Kino Lorber. With both cuts of the film part of this release and given 4K scans, and some new extras including a commentary make this a recommended release.  

Two Mules for Sister Sara

Director- Donald Siegal

Cast- Clint Eastwood, Shirley MacLaine

Country of Origin- US

Distributor – Kino Lorber

Number of Discs – 2

Reviewed by – David Steigman

Date-12/11/20