McCanick

I chose to see this movie (at TIFF 2013)for three reasons; David Morse, the brief synopsis in the TIFF guide and, finally, to see what Corey Monteith was capable of doing, outside of Glee.

This is a low budget film with a a deceptively simple story and I was only expecting to be mildly entertained. BIG MISTAKE!!!

Corey Monteith can ACT. Since I have never seen him do anything other than play a shy highschool football player with musical leanings.... I was completely blown away by his portrayal in this film. If I were to compare the difference between my expectations based on his Glee persona and his performance in this role, to any other actor with a similar, abrupt growth spurt of acting chops, it would have to be what Heath Ledger accomplished in The Dark Knight Returns. To be honest, I never would have expected this performance from him.

The movie itself is OK and it has a solid cast but Corey's was definitely the difference in the film. It makes you wonder what we might have seen from him in the years to come if only..........

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.

Fantasy story about a bad cop.

Unrealistic plot, with extreme lack of knowledge of police procedures and investigations.

Skip it.

In regards to Corey Montieth: I saw that the other review focused almost entirely on Montieth's performance. In truth, he plays a supporting role without much screen time (although it is an important role). He does an adequate job, but I was not blown away by his performance. I will say that he was completely unrecognizable to me, which is a positive thing.

In regards to David Morse: A underrated actor who I have always appreciated. He carries the burden of the film on his shoulders and makes it look easy. Morse has a way of being menacing and is absolutely believable as a cop approaching retirement age who can still scare people shitless.

The movie as a whole: A mixed bag. Rather than being the gritty character study that it wants to be, it feels like a ripoff of some other superior gritty character study. The dialogue is just barely off the mark, but enough so that it feels slightly odd. Some plot points are naggingly unrealistic (For example, the idea that Morse's partner could be unaware of a robbery/rape that occurred the previous night. Believe me every cop in the city would be aware). The camera-work and direction are competent but bland. Morse raises my score from a 4 to a 6.

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.