“McCanick” may be known as a film which featured Cory Monteith’s final performance and while the film does feature a strong performance from Monteith and lead actor, David Morse, its confusing plot hurts the film and prevents it from being a good film overall.
Image are courtesy of © 2013 McCanick, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Gambit
YEAR OF FILM: 2012
DURATION: 89 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 2:35:1 aspect ratio, English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Subtitles: English, English SDH
COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RATED: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Control, Partial Nudity and a Rude Gesture)
RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2014
Directed by Josh C. Waller
Written by Daniel Noah
Produced by Ehud Bleiberg, David Morse, Josh C. Waller
Executive Producer: Nicholas Donnermeyer, Donald Kugelman, Daniel Noah
Associate Producer: Bob Lowery, Mathew Hayden
Music by Johann Johannson
Cinematography by Martin Ahlgren
Edited by Brett W. Bachman
Casting by Diane Heery, Jason Loftus
Production Design by Michael Crenshaw
Art Direction by Chester Johnson, Melody trash
Costume Design by Gina Scarnati
Starring:
David Morse as Eugene “Mack” McCanick
Cory Monteith as Simon Weeks
Mike Vogel as Floyd Intrator
Rachel Nicholas Amy Intrator
Tracie Thoms as Sister Alice
When narcotics detective Eugene Mack McCanick (David Morse, THE GREEN MILE) discovers that Simon Weeks (Cory Monteith, “Glee”) has been released from prison, he instigates a brutal manhunt, without permission from the Chief of Police (Ciaran Hinds, THERE WILL BE BLOOD). The frenzy of paranoia and violence that follows pushes Mack and his partner to the edge of the law. The closer Mack gets to his prey, the closer he gets to a secret from his past – one that only Weeks can expose.
Director Josh C. Waller and writer Daniel Noah’s feature film “McCanick” received a lot of hype, not for the film itself but primarily for the death of actor Cory Monteith (“Glee”), who shot the film before his death from a result of “a mixed drug toxicity” consisting of heroin and alcohol.
While Monteith was no doubt a man who had a promising career, “McCanick” is a film that showcases his talent beyond television but the film lies on the shoulder of the film’s main actor David Morse (“Contact”, “The Rock”, “The Hurt Locker”, “The Green Mile”).
“McCanick” was released on Blu-ray in May 2014 and begins with veteran detective Eugene “Mack” McCanick being told that Simon Weeks (portrayed by Cory Monteith) has been released from prison. He is warned by his boss to not pursue or be anywhere near Simon.
But for McCanick, there is something about Simon that he can’t keep away from him and thus the film is divided with flashbacks of McCanick and a younger, long-haired male prositute, Simon and the out of prison, clean as a whistle, Simon.
But what is McCanick’s reason for avoiding orders from his supervisor and putting himself in danger without any backup to pursue Simon Weeks?
VIDEO:
“McCanick” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:39:1 aspect ratio). Picture quality is fantastic as close-ups are detailed, showcasing skin pores and colors also look good and strong throughout the film.
AUDIO/INTERTITLES:
“McCanick” is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. While the film has some action sequences, the film is primarily dialogue-driven.  Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“McCanick” comes with the following special features:
- Behind-the-Scenes – (10:13) Interviews with filmmaker, cast and crew.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes – (16:31) Featuring nine deleted/extended scenes.
- Trailer – (1:45) Theatrical trailer for “McCanick”.
With the hype that “McCanick” has received as being Cory Monteith’s film, there is no doubt that the actor shown tremendous promise in this feature film and gave more depth to his acting career than what he has done on the hit television show “Glee”.
But as Monteith plays an important role, this confusing and hard-to-follow film lies upon the performance of actor David Morse as the cold, bitter and troublemaking detective, McCanick.
The problem with “McCanick” is that the film tries to tell a story of the relationship of McCanick and Simon in the past and what is happening in the present.
McCanick is in pursuit of Simon, despite his superior telling him not to. McCanick is no doubt a detective pursuing a man which many people insist is not a bad man and we start to see throughout the film that McCanick is not a great cop, he’s cold, possibly corrupt and holds a major secret that will be unveiled towards the end of the film. Is it revenge? Is it a vendetta? Why is he so insistent of going after Simon?
Monteith does an exceptional job of playing a male prostitute, being taken in by McCanick but why did this young man go to prison? What did he do wrong? And why is McCanick so distraught when he finds out that he has been let go from prison?
Unfortunately, the film doesn’t answer many questions and the fact that you have watched this film, confused and wondering what the heck is going on… suffice to say, the confusing plot deters the film from being anything enjoyable and for the most part, being less than average.
The Blu-ray does feature fantastic picture quality and lossless audio is strong during the action sequences. Plus, you get a few special features included.
“McCanick” may be known as a film which featured Cory Monteith’s final performance and while the film does feature a strong performance from Monteith and lead actor, David Morse, its confusing plot hurts the film and prevents it from being a good film overall.
