David Morse is a Philly guy. He lives 10 miles outside of Philadelphia. He’s appeared in several Philly films, 12 Monkeys and World War Z among them. During the aughts Morse played the lead in a Philadelphia-based series about a retired-cop-turned-taxi-driver who solved crimes out of his cab. All of which explains why it should come as no surprise that Morse accepted the role of a violent, two-faced Philly cop in Josh Waller’s dour film, McCanick.

Detective McCanick is a hypocrite, brimming with self-loathing, harboring a secret so explosive he’d stoop to murder just to keep it. His story starts off gracefully  – a loyal sword breaking the job down for an all-too-buoyant rookie. But McCanick quickly strays from that agenda, spiraling from earnest to unfathomable, leaving Morse’s ample presence with almost no room to maneuver.

As an aside, McCanick represents the final motion picture appearance for deceased star Cory Monteith. Monteith’s role in this film is a surprising turn, one that holds the key to several plot points in a movie not-so-good.

(McCanick opens in limited release today.)