McCanick

source: McCanick

Fantasy story about a bad cop. Unrealistic plot, with extreme lack of knowledge of police procedures and investigations. Skip it.

I have always enjoyed the work of David Morse, he's right up there, in my opinion, with Gene Hackman, Ciaran Hinds and a bunch of other character actors, who never disappoint. And Mr. Morse did NOT disappoint in this movie either. What DID disappoint was a disjointed script. It's also unfortunate this was the last film Corey Monteith was in before his untimely death. I had an okay idea of what this was supposed to be about, but that was only after reading RogerEbert.com's review, and IMDB's description. I even Googled and clicked on a couple of other "reviews," all of which rated this one low, and with good reason. It was convoluted and messy. I would like my 1-hr and 36-mins back please.

"Raze" director Josh Waller's melodramatic police yarn "McCanick" qualifies as an above-average but unsavory thriller about a troubled Philadelphia detective whose life spirals downward into tragedy. As the unhinged homicide detective with a past that he prefers to keep secret, David Morse is terrific as the eponymous protagonist McCanick. He behaves like Gene Hackman's psychotic, drug-busting N.Y.P.D. cop in William Friedkin's "The French Connection." Indeed, Waller stages a scene somewhere in the middle where McCanick pursues a suspect, Simon Weeks (the late Cory Monteith of "Glee"), on a subway train, but Weeks manages to board the train minutes before it pulls out of the station. A frustrated McCanick scrambles out of the station into the street below and hijacks a citizen's car and following the train to the next station. What starts out as just another standard-issue police procedural about a corrupt cop turns into a confusing narrative about a cop who is more concerned with his bisexual behavior. Weeks and he shared an intimate moment at Weeks' apartment when McCanick and he hugged and kissed each other and McCanick offered him a place to stay. Throughout scenarist Daniel Noah's script, two stories appear to unfold and crossover. The first half of "McCanick" isn't bad. McCanick and his ill-fated police partner, confront some dastardly drug dealers in an apartment. Not only does McCanick blast the evil African-American drug dealer, but he also accidentally guns down his partner, Floyd Intrator (Mitch Vogel of "Cloverfield") and then attributes the blame to Weeks. Naturally, this infuriates McCanick's superior, Captain Jerry Quinn (Ciarán Hinds of "Munich") who worries about McCanick's demeanor and the secrets cluttering up their past as well as their colleagues in the precinct. "McCanick" isn't a bad film, but it is flawed. Primarily, the plot gets a little confusing and takes a bad turn. Imagine "Training Day" with a white protagonist who is a little more sympathetic but ultimately doomed. You may like McCanick, but the character has several bad characteristics that pull at arm's length. He emerges as a villain in the end. David Morse's performance is outstanding as a man in turmoil whose last act is pretty horrific. The rest of the performances are serviceable, with Hinds doing wonders with a small part. Waller generates atmosphere with his on location lensing in Philadelphia, and cinematographer Martin Ahlgren always thrusts us into the best possible place to see the action unfold. Traditional audiences that love film noir thrillers will enjoy this more than popcorn and beer spectators that want to see an action-packed epic. If you like to feel good at the end of each movie that you watch, "McCanick" may alienate you. You'll feel more relieved than satisfied.

Eugene McCanick (David Morse) is an unlikeable Philadelphia cop who has a bad relationship with his son and everyone else on the planet. He has no trouble lying to his partner. When Simon Weeks (Cory Monteith) gets paroled, McCanick is told to stay away from him which lasts for two scenes. The film consists of McCanick attempting to find Weeks through young male prostitutes, of which Weeks was one. The movie is told with flashbacks to amplify the lies of our main character. I watched the film not knowing where it was going through boring action and drama scenes, hoping the film would make sense and redeem itself. Unfortunately, once I had figured out what I was watching, I couldn't wait for it to end. Sorry. No spoilers. Not my cup of poison. Parental Guide: F-bombs. No sex or nudity.

I watched this film for one reason cory monteith. This film overall will keep you guessing. What is the nature of mccanick and weeks' characters why does he hate him so much etc who is the bad guy?! I definitely recommend any glee/cory fan to watch if you haven't already...cory displayed a huge talent i had yet to see, the depth of this character is so unlike the unloving leader finn, it will make you wonder if this is how cory was in part in real life, if this is the pain he hid, and medicated to the point of his demise. i am both saddened and proud after watching this movie and am left with the knowledge that had he lived he no doubt would have made beautiful award winning material, but alas that is not the reality. 9/10 only not a 10 because cory deserved more screen time. rip cory we love you.

Unfortunately, I only watched this film noir in french spoken, in a horrible dubbing. No other way to see it. On a DVD release with no English...Anyway, this did not prevent me to appreciate, to love this bleak, dark, depressing story of a cop on the road to perdition. A borderline cop, as I crave for. I thought of a old french crime flick, made in the early eighties, starring Victor Lanoux and Xavier Deluc, in a nearly same scheme. LA TRICHE. Nearly, I insist. The scheme of the cop involved - only in the end - in a homosexual matter, made me think of the french film. For the rest, both of these features are film noir describing cops on the loose. The savage one, with no redemption at the end. Useless to say that the underrated and too much unknown David Morse gives here a more than brilliant performance. But, as I said, this movie will remain unknown, except the fact that it was the last one of this young supporting actor, whose I don't remember the name. Here, he play's the lead's side kick.

Wow, what a rollercoaster, but one you ride after eating, so it makes you feel kinda sick, kinda bad... McCanick (2013) is a wrong movie. It's all wrong since the beginning. All that keeps us pushing foward towards the end is the question: "what's his problem with Simon Weeks?"; and the answer is sour, bad and bland, mediocre at its best. What I felt is that they went for a great idea of a plot, but couldn't make it happen right. It goes all shallow and unexplained until the very end, which, when it happens, just leaves you wondering why couldn't you just skip until the end and saved yourself the trouble. The acting is OK, which keeps you going, but everything falls flat. Nothing to see here.

In Philadelphia, on the day of the fifty-ninth anniversary of Detective Eugene 'Mack' McCanick (David Morse), he learns that Simon Weeks (Cory Monteith) has been released. Captain Jerry Quinn (Ciarán Hinds) asks Mack to forget Simon Weeks, but Mack lures his partner Floyd Intrator (Mike Vogel) to chase Weeks with tragic consequences. In flashbacks, the relationship between Mack and Weeks is disclosed. "McCanick" is a crime-drama with a messy story. The good thing is to see the underrated David Morse in a lead role and the young and promising Cory Monteith in his last work. Unfortunately the screenplay is not clear and the viewer ends the film without understanding the reason of the hatred of Mack for Weeks. The conclusion is also deceptive. My vote is three. Title (Brazil): "Obsessão Perigosa" ("Dangerous Obsession")

I was amazed at the negative reviews of this film. I simply bawled. David Morse acted superbly the plight of a man who is coming to know who he is and what he is capable of given certain circumstances. Only a man of conscience could react the way the lead character did in this film. This is a psychological drama/thriller that keeps one guessing till the end and reveals the tragedy of the human condition with great poignancy. Perhaps the secret that the lead was dealing with was concealed in a rather confusing fashion and made it hard to follow along but it is a ploy often used in the movies and doesn't take away from the core theme of the story. I cannot explain the core theme without giving away too much so I will just admonish viewers to take the time to watch this almost masterpiece of psychology if they have lived a little and are honest.