I have to give
this film credit for its originality, however misdirected and horribly
unentertaining it may have been to watch in execution. All that can really be
claimed about McCanick in a positive
nature is the fact that it is not a typical crooked cop film. The narrative
holds back its final twists and turns as long as possible, almost as though the
filmmakers understood that this was all that the film had to keep audiences
interested. Someone needs to tell the filmmakers that being cryptic about the
plot only works if your reveals are at least half as interesting as the
suspense leading up to it. The problem with McCanick
is none of it is interesting, despite all attempts at an uncensored performance
by David Morse in the title role.
Morse gives
everything he has to the performance as narcotics detective Eugene “Mack”
McCanick, and the film becomes an extended collection of cop clichés as he
distances himself from the department in a personal mission of vengeance.
Despite the warnings from his passive Chief of Police (Ciaran Hinds), McCanick
goes off of the deep end when he hears about the parole of Simon Weeks (Cory
Monteith). He sets out on a personal manhunt to find the young man which
results in a series of violent encounters, despite the fact that nearly
everyone encountered claims that Weeks has gone clean since being released from
prison. The reasons behind McCanick’s obsession with Weeks are withheld beyond
the point of logic, giving the audience little reason to continue watching.
Much of the film
is so cryptic in its withholding of its lead character’s motivation that the
series of chase and interrogations sequences are all but inconsequential. This
ultimately could have been a twenty-minute short film and spared the audience
and Morse a great deal of anguish. The there is the final performance by
Monteith, which is as underwhelming as the reasons behind the actor’s early
departure from life and performance alike; it is all sadly pointless.
The Blu-ray
release includes a behind-the-scenes featurette, as well as a collection of
deleted and extended scenes. There is also a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
3.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 3/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
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