Review: Cory Monteith stars in implausible ‘McCanick’

“McCanick” features the late “Glee” star Cory Monteith in his final role. He plays Simon Weeks, a hustler who has just completed his prison sentence after a cop named McCanick (David Morse) framed him for killing a congressman.

Against his captain’s order, McCanick seeks Simon out. Here we have a police procedural that pretty much rejects standard operating procedure, leaving the audience to wonder whether writer Daniel Noah meant to create such an unbelievably sloppy and reckless officer or simply didn’t do any homework on law-enforcement protocol.

Meanwhile, McCanick would like to mend fences with his estranged son. In flashbacks, we learn he apparently projected his failed-father remorse onto orphaned Simon.

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How Simon went from a son figure to a scapegoat murder convict, and how McCanick has never quite reconciled his feelings toward Simon after all this time, remain mysteries even at the film’s end.

Familiar paternal regret gets ratcheted up here with an illogical and gratuitous investigative exercise. The premise that bruised feelings can get blown so far out of proportion and propel a veteran cop to risk his reputation and jettison his entire career is simply preposterous.

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“McCanick”

MPAA rating: R for language, strong violence and brief drug content

Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Playing at: Laemmle’s Noho 7, North Hollywood. Also on VOD.