My weekly movie reviews. You can also read these on letterboxd.
This week focuses on three recent action films starring Aaron Eckhart.
MUZZLE (2023)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
MUZZLE starts strong with a first half that focuses on character and relationships, set in a seedy crime world. It’s basically a grown up, muscular TURNER & HOOTCH. Aaron Eckhart does good work with his troubled veteran K9 cop character who tries to heal himself by teaching a new, equally troubled dog to be police. This is the kind of money that never needed a plot. There didn’t need to be a “bad guy”. It could have just been about this policeman and his dog, going through trials and tribulations, until they both figure it out.
Sadly, the second half of MUZZLE gets muddled with an unnecessary drug plot. It gets lost in conspiracy and that takes away from the characters. Some of the climactic action is interesting but some of the character relationships weren’t well scripted, particularly a fellow cop Aaron has conflict with. A romantic subplot also gets rushed and starts to make less sense as the film goes along. All these things could have been solved if the movie just trusted itself to not need your typical action story beats…
Still, this is better than most movies these days and features a solid, grim performance from Aaron. Curious to see how they handle the sequel if it goes.
Watched on Amazon.
THE BRICKLAYER (2023)
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
In this one, Aaron moves away from the grizzled Liam Neeson-like thrillers for more of a James Bond kind of adventure. THE BRICKLAYER (terrible title) tries to be slick, putting its hero in 007 inspired attire as he shoots his way through Greece on an espionage mission. It’s not a bad idea since Eckhart is much smarter and more cultured than some of his action pictures allow him to be. The problem lies as usual in the script.
Even action-veteran Renny Harlin cannot save this dud of a screenplay, another tired spy yarn with flat characters and predictable twists. Harlin does bring his expertise with fight sequences to the table. An early rooftop battle shows promise. But as soon as the film relies on its silly plot, it falls apart.
I like the idea of Aaron and Renny working together and it looks like they have a couple more coming so let’s hope those fair better than THE BRICKLAYER (seriously, who in their right mind thought that title was a good idea?).
Watched on Netflix
RUMBLE THROUGH THE DARK (2023)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Of the three Eckhart films I watched recently, RUMBLE THROUGH THE DARK is by far the best. It came and went with no fanfare. I saw a trailer, which showed promise, heard nothing about its release, and then it popped up on Tubi. But this one deserved better.
A bare-knuckle boxing drama with splashes of action and suspense, RUMBLE features a heartfelt performance from Aaron. It look me a minute to get used to his accent but a quarter hour in I bought him as the beat-down Southern fighter who is hanging by a thread. Bella Thorne is just as good as his female counterpart. I actually thought she was a non-actor, just a real-life stripper or circus performer they cast in the role. That’s the best compliment you can give an actor… when it seems like they’re not even acting. Bella is definitely on my radar now, to watch and to hopefully work with one day.
Back to the film, I heard it was a troubled production and that shows in all the best ways on screen. It’s a dark movie, even brutal at times. Aaron is raw, his emotions bleeding through the screen. I think this one got to a deeper truth for all involved and unlike so many action films these days, the world created feels real enough to touch. If I had one complaint, it would be all the flashbacks, an unnecessary device in this case which only draw away from the present, intense journey of these great characters.
Watched on Tubi
