The First Deadly Sin (1980)
I gave The First Deadly Sin a chance. For a while, I embraced it despite the flaws. I tolerated the slow pace, believing it was deliberate; a way to build up tension. I liked Frank Sinatra as the veteran cop but eventually, I had to cave. The movie's dull.
Detective Edward Delaney (Sinatra) is weeks away from retirement when he notices a strange series of murders. He becomes determined to get to the bottom of things despite the higher-ups urging him to relax and wait it out until retirement, and his wife (Faye Dunaway) lying in the hospital, slowly dying.
This is a generic "serial killer" meets âthe veteran copâs last jobâ thriller but in slow motion. Delaney goes around picking up clues and slowly piecing things together while a killer we donât care about bides his time. Meanwhile, you're (at best) mildly interested in whether Faye Dunawayâs character will ever get out of bed. You're not anxious wondering who the next victim will be. You're not horrified by the murders. There's no reason why this movie needs to be 112 minutes long.
To keep myself invested in this review, I'll shine a spotlight on some of the bizarre and unfortunate choices that drag this film down. Firstly, the killer is not interesting. Think of some great serial killers we've seen on the silver screen. The guy from Seven; Hannibal Lecter and Francis Dollarhyde from Red Dragon; even Jigsaw or that creep from The Cell. They all have two things in common. First, they have an identity. Even if they donât have a name, something about their methodology makes them stand out. You wonder what makes them tick. Thereâs nothing to the sinner in this picture. He kills with a mountain-climbing hammer and then cries about it. Big deal. I was more interested in why the camera was constantly obscuring his face than his mental state. David Dukes (who plays the killer) isnât a cop working next to our hero or someone visiting his elderly mother in the room next to Delaneyâs wifeâs; his identity is not a twist, so why pretend like he's hiding in plain sight?
Another problem is our lead. Compare this film's cop on the edge of retirement to the one in Seven. Morgan Freeman's character was partnered up with a newcomer. Why? Because old men like Frank Sinatra don't do well in chases or fight scenes. You know exactly how their final confrontation will end because there's no way this detective could go toe-to-toe with anyone, least of all a lunatic who works out and kills people compulsively.
While your curiosity might be peaked enough by the mystery to keep you going, the side characters are the best part of the film. Delaney is helped by a number of interesting men and women while on the case, including a coroner who isnât very excitable, even when it comes to dead bodies being exhumed (James Whitmore), a victimâs widow (Brenda Vaccaro), and a museum curator who really wants to help the investigation (David Dukes). They bring excitement to the table by serving as backdoor resources for our hero who is cut-off by his superior at the police headquarters.
In the end, the dramatic moments fell flat because I didnât care about the characters. Many scenes are supposed to be heart-wrenching but add nothing to this bloated plot. This was Sinatraâs final performance. It's not an embarrassing choice but the picture's a letdown. No one cares about this movie and you can tell by the bare-bones DVD release it's received. Not even subtitles or a trailer! I've got to throw extra tomatoes at those who put together the cover. It gives away a large chunk of the mystery! The first few scenes do too (meaning you're sitting there waiting for everyone else to catch up) but that's beside the point. The First Deadly Sin is completely forgettable. (Fullscreen version on DVD, June 16, 2015)
