Hey gang, Valkor here. And I’m ready to go it again at random,
reaching into deep the MediaView pile of videos to pull out either
a gem or a turd… usually it’s a turd but more often than not I’ll
snag me a beaut. This next film, McCanick, directed by Josh C.
Waller, takes place through the course of a day and ends on such
a downer… with a twist. It’s a twist you kinda see coming, but
you don’t expect it to actually go that way.
McCanick sets the focus on a grizzled old cop named McCanick (David Morse), called Mack for short. He’s just been informed by his captain that a criminal he helped put away, Simon Weeks (Cory Monteith), is released, but he's given specific instructions to stay away from the convict. Not one to take orders, especially involving this case, Mack first dupes his partner into helping him track down Weeks; they locate him and in the process of honing in on him, shit goes crazy and the partner winds up shot. Mack, of course, lies about the shooting and continues his search, using deception as his tool to get the answers he seeks, to ultimately get his man. In between Mack’s quest to find Weeks up until the final conflict, we’re given flashbacks of when and how the two met and what caused their partnership to go sour. The end result is an emotional confrontation between the two men (with a twist) as they ultimately face their past head on. And it’s a twist that’ll shock and awe.
Unfortunately for actor Cory Monteith, who also starred on the hit show Glee, this was his final performance as the young actor died due to a drug overdose. And it’s a shame too, especially since the actor did an amazing job of switching gears from the bright and perky Glee to this dark and gritty urban drama.
The Good:
McCanick is a solid police drama that’s an awesome character study into the life of a city cop; you can see and feel the emotional weight of a not so perfect life weighing heavy on Mack’s shoulders. And by the end of it all you’ll completely understand why. The film never let’s go of its somber edge though it raises the level of suspense as we get closer to the climatic ending. And speaking of endings, I don’t normally go for the open ending, which this film has, that lets you the viewer decide how it turns out. However with McCanick, I’ll allow it as it makes for a perfect sense and it doesn't really leave you conflicted. The acting is on point and huge props go out to David Morse, who carries the bulk of the film so well as he completely embraces the character. I’ve seen him play similar roles, but not on this level. I’ve already sang the praises of Monteith who is just as good as Morse. In the end, I was pleased with McCanick and I’m glad I took a chance with this one.
The Bad:
Nothing truly terrible, but once you start to delve further into the film, you’ll find that it’s a bit predictable, especially by the films end. Or maybe it was just me? I mean I sort of knew how the film would end, but I wasn’t quite sure if it would play out that way, but when it did play out as I thought it would, I was still quite surprised.
The Ugly:
N/A
McCanick is available now and it’s a dark and gritty police drama that’s engaging until the very end with a twist that’ll possibly make your jaw drop. The film is rounded out by superb performances that makes this film a must see. And out of TOV 5 stars, I’m gonna show McCanick some appreciation and toss it a 4 out of TOV 5 stars.
