We don’t deserve canines.

The primary character in “Muzzle” is aware of that higher than anybody. Aaron Eckhart’s damaged cop will do something to avenge his canine companion within the grand John Wick custom.

Besides this isn’t a ugly shoot ’em up however a slow-burn character examine informed with confidence and elegance. Some flaws nag at us, like a villain who screams for extra display screen time. It’s nonetheless a welcome addition to the cop style, made richer by Eckhart’s dialed-in efficiency.

Officer Jake Rosser (Eckhart) opens as much as nobody however his companion, K9’s personal Ace. Jake and Ace pitch in on what seems to be a routine cease that shortly spirals uncontrolled.

A automotive explodes. A fellow cop is injured. And, when the smoke settles, poor Ace has made the final word sacrifice.

Jake is crushed, a lot in order that he takes out his rage on an EMT. Guess what a part of the tragedy goes viral?

His fellow officers have little curiosity find out precisely how Ace died or who pulled the set off. So he pushes ahead on his personal, enraging his by-the-book commander (Nick Searcy) and reminding everybody his PTSD has by no means been resolved.

He reluctantly adopts a brand new K9 officer, Socks, with a troubled previous. Socks isn’t eager on studying the ropes, although, and Jake’s makes an attempt to study the reality behind Ace’s dying get him deeper in bother.

“Muzzle” pays tribute to our canine heroes, however the story reaches past our furry mates. Loyalty, betrayal and the skinny line between being cop and having your profession implode in a flash bleed into the body.

Director John Stalberg, Jr. captures the oozing rot of Jake’s Los Angeles beat, an strategy that doubles as a sobering op-ed. Tent cities abound, and the homeless subculture is essential to preventing crime within the Metropolis of Angels.

Sadly, these visuals not shock us.

Stalberg’s digital camera finds contemporary methods to strategy the cop style, but it surely additionally spends time on Eckhart’s tightly framed mug. Jake wears his ache for all to see, and his ties to his neighbor and love curiosity (Penelope Mitchell) supply clues to his tortured soul.

Eckhart, an underrated actor, fills in the remaining with each measured scowl.

“Muzzle” shares the internal workings of a regular K9 unit all the way down to the way in which their fellow officers pay their respects to fallen canines. That units it other than latest cop movies, and none of it’s given a Hollywood gloss.

We’d like to see extra of Searcy, however the identical holds true for Stephen Lang’s modest position as a K9 coach. Eckhart’s scenes with Lang trace at a depth the movie units apart for the legal conspiracy in play.

“Muzzle’s” screenplay is blunt and style pleasant, however simply once you suppose it’s sure to serve up one thing cliched it turns in a contemporary route. We’re additionally spared pat scenes of Jake and Socks bonding.

Grit is the order of the day, and “Muzzle” greater than delivers on that entrance.

HiT or Miss: “Muzzle” is a pointy, involving cop drama powered by Man’s Greatest Buddy and a formidable flip by Aaron Eckhart.