On F List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)


The First Deadly Sin (1980)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 5/24

FirstDS
5/24: After appearing in crap films for more than a decade, Frank Sinatra is back by starring in The First Deadly Sin.

If not for the additional elements, it will have been another ordinary murder mystery movie. On top of the imminent passing of Edward X. Delaney's wife, the high amount of antipathy, and the serial killer's big speech, the film title has religious undertones that aren't apparent on screen. Instead, it's manifested through people in terms of God's power.

The doctor has it, but the detective is frustrated with him for not getting the job done and decides to keep himself busy by concentrating on the final case of his career. While at work, he's limited by his superior who doesn't want to hear anything about his lead of a serial killer who has the power to take people's lives.

Then, there's the wheelchair-bound man at the apartment whose passion in mountain climbing was taken away by an accident. At the end, the serial killer, whose life was messed up in a big way when he was a child, is caught but gives a final speech before he's killed by Delaney who has stopped caring anymore, especially after seeing what's happening to his wife and knowing he can't pursue him the proper way anymore in spite of his solid detective work.

In top form, Frank Sinatra is almost as he was in The Manchurian Candidate and is all class by the way he talks while Faye Dunaway has the thankless task of being bedridden the entire time. The following four supporting players are effective: Martin Gabel, Brenda Vaccaro, James Whitmore, and Joe Spinell. It's interesting to see the first two being eager about the case on hand versus the antipathetic characters that Delaney encounters constantly.

By the way, why is there a big mention of Theoni V. Aldredge during the opening credits for having designed Faye Dunaway's costumes when she's never seen wearing one? On the other hand, if you noticed the curious white sticker on Brenda Vaccaro's door to her apartment, it's an "Operation Identification" sign which means the resident registered the serial numbers of her electronic device with the New York Police Department for theft deterrence.

All in all, thanks to Frank Sinatra and the deep layers of symbolism, The First Deadly Sin rises above the usual.