Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gritty police drama has drugs, brutal violence, dog death.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Muzzle
What's the Story?
In MUZZLE, a car full of drugs crashes into an encampment of unhoused people, and its driver escapes on foot. K-9 officer Jake Rosser (Aaron Eckhart) arrives on the scene and uses his dog, Ace, to track the culprit. Unfortunately, they're ambushed, and Ace is killed. In his grief and rage, Jake attacks an EMT who's unable to treat Ace. The incident is filmed and goes viral. After a time -- and visits with a police therapist -- Jake chooses a new dog, Socks, who was formerly on the narcotics team. Under the guise of getting back to work, Jake starts investigating the mysterious circumstances of Ace's death (the animal's autopsy showed an overdose of fentanyl). Jake's dangerous trajectory brings him to the heart of a crime syndicate that has a chokehold on a dying city. Is Jake in over his head?
Is It Any Good?
It eventually comes a little unglued, and the ending is silly, but, for a while, inventive filmmaking, a committed lead performance, and harrowing realism make this thriller worth seeing. Directed by John Stalberg Jr., Muzzle has a grim feel, with trash piled in every corner of the city it's set in, and crime running rampant. (It's like Joker, but with less fantastical remove, more urgently here-and-now.) Stalberg designs some startling sequences -- such as a fight seen only in a broken mirror on a swinging door, a shot of Jake stopped by police who are left entirely off-screen as they recognize him from his viral video, and a showdown amidst Fourth of July fireworks. The movie also has many fascinating sequences depicting the process of training and breaking in K-9 police dogs. (Stephen Lang plays a hardened trainer, complete with a gnarled scar on his bicep.) Eckhart gets along with his four-legged co-stars spectacularly, and you can feel the depths of their bond; Jake's intensity comes from his love and devotion to his animals. A tacked-on romance with a pretty neighbor (Penelope Mitchell) seems superfluous, there's a ridiculous villain, and the movie shows more faults as things move to a close, but Muzzle is still a tail worth telling.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Muzzle's violence. How much is actually shown? What's the impact of the violence that's not shown? Is that thrilling or shocking?
What is the nature of revenge? Can it be satisfying? Why? Can it ever truly solve a problem?
Why is it often very difficult to watch media violence involving animals?
What do you think the movie is trying to say with the way it depicts a crime-ridden world?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 29, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : September 29, 2023
- Cast : Aaron Eckhart , Stephen Lang , Penelope Mitchell
- Director : John Stalberg Jr.
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : RLJE Films
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Animals
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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