If you were to watch the disgraced LAPD officer Rosser Jake (Aaron Eckhart) in action, there is a good chance that you would struggle to disagree with him. At the beginning of ‘Muzzle, ‘ directed by John Stolberg Jr. and Stolberg and Carlyle Eubank, Jake one drives through Los Angeles, passing tent cities that flank every sidewalk. Ace, his K-9, accompanies him while he is driving, complaining for jake seems to be part of the K-9 unit. Bros is so keen on the world and mankind state that he firmly believes in the type of language people use, and norm shifts for which, ‘literally’ has become a cold word. And no is obscure or meaningful so he knows. He is undoubtedly dry and a bore. With all these components of ‘Muzzle’, there are still points that blend into one another but do not get the attention they so require. There are so many different threads, themes, and plots, even Sligh taped together in the sighs it will come together. But it doesn’t.
Jake is a seasoned combat veteran who suffers from PTSD and leads a reclusive and socially detached life. A lot of people steer clear of him. Ace is shot during a call gone wrong. In panic, Jake violently attacks a medic because he is told that the Airedale will have to wait while the man is being treated. As a result of the attack, the medic was injured and bystanders recorded everything on their mobile phones. Jake is now an overnight celebrity, although for all the wrong reasons. Because of the notorious incident, he has been suspended from duty and is required to undergo therapy.
Muzzle, goes beyond being a thriller, as it also delves into emotion and even touches upon on the bond between dogs and cops. Mourning Ace, Jake is determined to chase down the people who are responsible for the incident where multiple officers were taken out, a car was blown up, and a stash of fentanyl canisters were discovered in the debris. As he begins the pursuit, Jake falls into a world filled with nefarious actors, trafficked dogs, and businesses operating as fronts for the production of fentanyl. Socks, Jakes newest addition to the force is an adorable pooch but deeply traumatized by her past. She hides in a corner of her cage, with her muzzle securely placed over her mouth. In a way, Jake and Socks are two sides of the same coin.
Socks’ first meeting with Jake is rather bittersweet and affectionate, and there are moments that are action packed as Jake chases criminals. Some of the best parts of Muzzle involve Socks and Jake during their K-9 training. This is a familiar theme in cinema it’s been done before, to name but a few, Turner and Hooch but two of the lesser known, yet quite good, Megan Leavey is the most intensive study into the interface of a human and dog. In sharp contrast with Muzzle does everything right that “Muzzle” seeks to try: do the cold and emotionally wounded human having to change in order to care and adequately train his dog partner issue justice. One can’t be stern, hateful or angry while training a dog instead one must attend to personal problems prior to putting the leash onto the dog. “Muzzle” seeks to make those connections in a routine obedient way.
All the issues tackled in ‘Muzzle’ are explained when the issues of loving someone are delved into. While staring at the gloating doctors and clearly looking upset, which is not abnormal given he is also infamous for beating a paramedic on all the news media, Jake meets a stranger Penelope Mitchell when he is in the laundry room at his complex. His level of sociability is astonishingly low. He has passion and desire pouring out of him. In utter dismay, this nurse with an urgent career grabs a few moments of solace with the tempter. That is just the tip of the iceberg, she adds on her first meeting that she would love to be there for him if he wants to talk, which says a lot of how unstable she is herself. All of it is outrageous. She has no connection to the story at first. She disappears from the plot for many years, and when she does come back towards the end, no one cares what happens to her. There is no depth to her character and she has no business existing in the movie as such.
The “Muzzle” thriller is better but only slightly as this is a film where even the villains are laughably exaggerated with one of them walking out of the shadows in shiny pants and dramatic makeup akin to Ursa in Superman. It is clear that in this movie we are meant to see Jake become softer through his relationship with Socks and the nurse he never interacts with, but I suppose we are meant to believe she cares for this scary looking man, boobs and personality aside. Jake’s journey isn’t explored in a sensical way. Socks is the most expressive character in the movie; she is the only one who goes through a journey of development and healing.
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