An underrated Clint Eastwood film that he made when he was 88 is airing on TV tonight

Eastwood is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest filmmakers

One of Clint Eastwood’s most underrated movies that he made when he was 88 is airing on TV tonight (Friday, April 25).

The legendary filmmaker and actor has appeared in over 60 movies in a career that has spanned 65 years across various generations of Hollywood.

Beginning his career on the western series Rawhide in 1959, Eastwood got his break in the movie world as the Man with No Name in the Sergio Leone–directed Dollars Trilogy.

In a decade that saw him play Dirty Harry for the first time, Eastwood made his directorial debut with 1971’s Play Misty for Me.

While he continued to appear in westerns including The Outlaw Josey Wales and High Plains Drifter, Eastwood began focusing on directing as his career moved forward.

Receiving the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his 1992 western Unforgiven, Eastwood would treat fans with films such as Mythic River, Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino.

Out of all of Eastwood's many films, it feels like his stellar 2018 crime drama is one that unfairly slips under the radar.

The Mule follows Leo Sharp, a World War II veteran in his 80s who became a drug courier for the Sinaloa Cartel.

Eastwood, who directs the film, gave his first performance since 2012 in the film that boasts Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest, and Andy García in its cast.

Giving one of his best performances, Eastwood injects a level of tension and energy into the project that few filmmakers could .

In spite of facing Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, The Mule grossed a staggering $173.6 million at the box office, against a production budget of $50 million.

Holding an approval rating of 70% based on 190 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, critics were a tad harsher on The Mule than they perhaps should have.

Speaking to NHK World about the project, Eastwood said: “I read an article in the Times about the guy I was interested in. It was based on the real guy who went to prison for cavorting around with drugs in a truck.

“And I thought it was interesting and that all the little vignettes on the road could be interesting. So I thought it would be fun to do that. I've driven across the country a few times, never in an old pickup truck, never carting anything in particular. But it was fun.

“It was adventurous and I thought it might be interesting if we could tell a few stories and meet some interesting people along the way, see what the drama brings out. The real story is what fascinated me the most. What it was and what it must have been like out there.”

The Mule airs on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer at 10.40pm on Friday, April 25