Scott LeBrun Clint Eastwood is in very fine form here, not having to stretch himself but displaying that cool screen presence that always served him well. He plays Hogan, a loner travelling through Mexico who saves a woman, Sara (Shirley MacLaine) from being ravaged by American lowlifes. Then he finds out that she's a nun...well, supposedly a nun. Certain signals have him wondering about her. Although they are both on their own missions, they ultimately unite to assist the Mexican revolutionaries from the country's aggressive occupation by French forces.This is a somewhat unusual Western, and a typically solid collaboration between Clint and his frequent director, Don Siegel. It mostly centres around the evolving relationship between our two heroes. The cranky Hogan sometimes has to prod her into doing what he needs her to do, but they do take turns helping each other out, such as the extended sequence where she must help remove an arrow that's been shot into him by a Yaqui Indian. Hogan is not particularly religious, and does tend to get annoyed at some of her habits. He's also one of those in-it-for-the-money types, but it's not surprising that he does get his consciousness raised. Meanwhile, Sara can be feisty, but MacLaine never makes her abrasive in any way and creates a very appealing character.Filmed entirely on location in Mexico, this features mostly unfamiliar supporting actors, save for guys like Manolo Fabregas as the passionate Colonel Beltran, Alberto Morin as the hearty French general LeClaire, and Armando Sylvestre as one of the American creeps at the outset.The film is extremely well shot in widescreen, and is a great looking picture, brought further to colourful life by a wonderful Ennio Morricone score that this viewer can still hear in his head as he types this.Overall, this is great fun, with endearing give-and-take between the unlikely star duo, and a fairly straightforward script (written by Albert Maltz, based on a story by filmmaker Budd Boetticher) that leads to a very rousing action climax that features the occasional burst of surprising gore. The eventual twist regarding MacLaine is no great shock given that the whole tale is clearly leading up to this sort of revelation. Still, this is highly worth watching for fans of the stars.Eight out of 10.

jeffhaller For some reason I always avoided this movie. I was sort of forced to watch it and found it quite lovable. Within the first few minutes you sort of know exactly what is going to happen, so it is impossible to take it too seriously. My knowledge of Mexican history is not sufficient to understand the French conflict in Mexico but it is a good plot. Especially when all of the French are played by Mexicans pretending very hard to be French. MacLaine really was such a natural. She just knew how to enjoy herself in front of you. Eastwood's character is not unlike so many of this era and he also is having a blast. The music is great and the pacing is slow, thank goodness. This is sort of like a Noir Comic Western. The scene in the bathtub near the end is so sexy and romantic and was the perfect conclusion. I think that this material would make a perfect Broadway musical.

Giorgos Trou To tell you the truth, I expected 'Two Mules for Sister Sara' to be a mediocre movie, only trying to take advantage of Eastwood's success with Sergio Leone's film. However, it came to become one of my favourite westerns, even though I've seen a handful of them.Despite its naivety, the film has a good screenplay. Eastwood played well, but MacLaine offered without a doubt the best performance. The music, composed by Ennio Morricone, was magnificent.The movie was perhaps too talky for a western, giving us some memorable quotes though. Also, many goofs were present, including the dynamite usage, downgrading the overall result.I definitely recommend 'Two Mules for Sister Sara' to Eastwood and western fans. From my point of view, it surely isn't a masterpiece, but it is good work, long forgotten.

Robert J. Maxwell An imitation spaghetti Western directed by Don Siegel, written by Budd Boettiger, with music by Ennio Morricone, starring Clint Eastwood (he's the guy with the little cigar and the poncho) and Shirley MacLaine as a fake nun.Well, they all know their business so it should be pretty good and, in fact, it's not terrible. Eastwood, of course, could have walked through the picture. The nearest he comes to a smile is a kind of pained grimace but that's all required of him -- that and lighting a stick of dynamite with that cigar and an expression of complete removal from the situation.I don't know exactly what Shirley MacLaine is doing in this. One thinks of her neither as a nun nor as a female figure to be batted around by a seedy hero like Eastwood, let alone the grease balls against whom they're fighting.Two good scenes stand out. In one, Eastwood's shoulder is pierced by an Indian arrow and MacLaine must remove it by the most painful process imaginable. Eastwood actually gets to register pain for once.Scene two. What with that injured shoulder, Eastwood can hardly be expected to climb the trestle that carries the railroad tracks across the gorge so that dynamite can be planted and the bridge destroyed at the moment the train is crossing it. MacLaine must do it. It would be easier if she just climbed the hill, walked out on the rickety bridge, and tucked the dynamite away underneath the rails but not nearly so dramatic. Or so amusing when Eastwood, using only one arm and while drunk, must try to balance the rifle on MacLaine's shoulder and try to hit and explode the dynamite.Morricone's goofy musical score tells us that he, at least, recognized this movie for the joke it was.