Two Mules for Sister Sara

"CLINT EASTWOOD...the deadliest man alive...takes on a whole army with two guns and a fistful of dynamite!"

1970 1h 54m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

71%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 712🍅71%Rotten Tomatoes●62Metacritic★7IMDB · 33,227

Western

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a wandering mercenary named Hogan rescues a nun called Sister Sara from the unwanted attentions of a band of rogues on the Mexican plains, he has no idea what he has let himself in for. Their chance encounter results in the blowing up of a train and a French garrison, as well as igniting a spark between them that survives a shocking discovery.

“CLINT EASTWOOD...the deadliest man alive...takes on a whole army with two guns and a fistful of dynamite!”

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Cast

Shirley MacLaine
Sara
Clint Eastwood
Hogan
Manolo Fábregas
Colonel Beltran
Alberto Morin
General LeClaire
Armando Silvestre
1st American
John Kelly
2nd American
Enrique Lucero
3rd American
David Povall
Juan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Don Siegel
Writers: Albert Maltz, Budd Boetticher
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America, Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Mexico.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Don Siegel, shot by Gabriel Figueroa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert F. Shugrue shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood and Manolo Fábregas carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Don Siegel directs. Gabriel Figueroa behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Robert F. Shugrue cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Mexico. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Mexico.
5Directed by Don Siegel, shot by Gabriel Figueroa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Robert F. Shugrue shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood and Manolo Fábregas carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "CLINT EASTWOOD...the deadliest man alive...takes on a whole army with two guns and a fistful of dynamite!".
10IMDB entry: tt0065134 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "gunslinger", "brothel", "mexican revolution", "treasure hunt".
12Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gabriel Figueroa
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Robert F. Shugrue
Costume design: Helen Colvig
Makeup / hair: Evelina Casas
Stunt coordinator: Buddy Van Horn
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,500,000
Box office: $5,050,000
Return: 202% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 62/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 33,227 votes
MPAA: GP

Awards

2 nominations total

Also by

Don Siegel

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2022-01-13
★ 9/10
This is terrific. <em>'Two Mules for Sister Sara'</em> is highly enjoyable. I have many positives. Clint Eastwood is tremendous in one of the two lead roles, I know he seemingly plays this sorta character a lot, at least early on in his career, but man is he quality at it. Shirley MacLaine is great alongside Mr. Eastwood, she suits and plays her character extremely well. The two have excellent chemistry. Elsewhere, Manolo Fábregas spearheads the rest. How about that score? I love it! Impossible not to tap along to whenever the main title is used and every single time it sounds so, so good. Ennio Morricone, what a ledge! The humour in this 1970 film is also top notch, while the pacing and editing is also on point. I really enjoyed the journey that the plot takes, it's simple and there's a clear beginning, middle and end but it's all supremely entertaining. I will no doubt be revisiting this!
Wuchak2024-11-13
★ 8/10
One of Eastwood's top Westerns In Mexico during Maximilian's brief reign (1864-67), a nun named Sara (Shirley MacLaine) is rescued from three rowdy rapists by a loner named Hogan (Clint Eastwood). The pair team-up and assist the Juaristas in their fight to free Mexico from French rule. Manolo Fábregas plays the colonel of the Juaristas. Released in 1970 and directed by Don Siegel, "Two Mules for Sister Sara" is superior to Eastwood's first two "Man with No Name" movies. While it's not technically as good as the renowned "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966), it has a more compelling story with better characters. And that's the key to this movie's effectiveness: It focuses on the two protagonists and their developing relationship. Because we're interested in them we're more interested in the extraordinary events with which they're entangled. Speaking of which, there's a nice buffet of Western staples: gunfights, an Indian attack, a saloon scene, a train wreck, a house of ill repute and a rollicking climax. MacLaine is young, beautiful and charismatic here. The movie runs 1 hour, 56 minutes, and was shot in Morelos, Sonora and Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico. GRADE: A-