McCanick - To the Death - Blu-ray

Content: Eugene Mack McCanick (David Morse) is a closeted loner. His work with the Philadelphia narcotics squad has left deep scars on him. His wife has left him with their son and his colleagues have little respect for him. Even to his young partner Floyd (Mike Vogel), McCanick is just a broken relic of days gone by. And so Floyd isn't surprised when McCanick doggedly sets out to track down junkie Simon Weeks (Cory Monteith), who has just been released from prison. For what no one suspects: Simon, whom McCanick himself put in jail seven years ago, knows a dark secret about the cop. And he wants to prevent this secret from coming to light at all costs. A merciless chase begins, with McCanick's mind not the only victim his obsession will claim that day...

McCanik - To the Death is a gritty cop thriller with a very shady main character. If at the beginning McCanick seems to be actually a really poor dog, who threatens to break under the separation from his family and the misery he has to experience day by day in his job, he reveals more and more his dark, merciless side as the story progresses. David Morse plays this rather enigmatic, multi-layered character with great conviction. You never really know, especially in the first half of the film, whether to feel sorry for the cop or to be afraid of him.

Glee star Cory Monteith, who died much too soon, also delivers a very decent performance as hunted drug addict and ex-con Simon. While he doesn't play outstandingly, he disappears far enough behind his character to completely detach himself from his image as a Glee beau. And that's a thoroughly commendable performance that also reveals what talent still lay dormant in the young actor that he now, unfortunately, can't expand upon.

Director Josh C. Waller tells the story on two time levels. While the action in the present follows McCanick in his relentless pursuit of Simon, with his obsession threatening to destroy more and more of his sanity, the viewer learns in periodically interspersed flashbacks why the cop is targeting Simon and what secret he is desperate to hide. While some scenes, especially a lengthy chase through Philadelphia, are really extremely engaging and excitingly staged, other moments come across as a bit plodding and almost lethargic. This creates a somewhat unbalanced overall impression, which the not entirely satisfying ending can't save.

McCanik - To the Death has very strong moments, is well crafted and convincingly acted. But the sometimes somewhat convoluted execution and the dramaturgical heaviness noticeably get in the way of the potential entertainment value. And that the ending lacks the necessary bite, unfortunately, also leaves a somewhat bland aftertaste. Still, if you like gritty cop thrillers, you can safely risk a look here. Because all in all, the positive aspects clearly outweigh the negative ones, even if the weaknesses prevent a solid thriller from becoming a real genre gem. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The Blu-ray's image is very clean and features high image sharpness and atmospheric coloring. The picture is a bit dark overall, but this is quite in keeping with the basic mood of the story. The audio is rather subdued for long stretches, though there are long moments where the audio channels are really barely used. Every now and then, however, more action-packed moments with coherently implemented sound effects provide significant movement in the tonal action, with not only the front channels but also the surrounds being put to good use.

Extras: Bonus features include a brief behind-the-scenes look (approx. 10:13 Min.), the trailer to the film as well as a picture gallery.

Conclusion: McCanick - Until Death is a well-cast thriller, which can come up with an interesting story. However, this comes across very dark and the dramaturgical heaviness noticeably stands in the way of a high entertainment value. But thanks to the somewhat inscrutable character of the title figure and some very intense moments, this cop thriller can still be called absolutely successful and worth seeing, despite a certain unwieldiness on balance!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp