The First Deadly Sin

1980 "He's searching for a killer. She's searching for a miracle .... And time is running out."
5.9| 1h52m| R| en| More Info
Released: 03 October 1980 Released
Producted By: Filmways Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A serial killer is stalking New York. Inspector Edward X. Delaney is an NYPD detective, nearing retirement, who is trying to put together the pieces of the case. Are the victims somehow linked? What does the brutal method of death signify?

Genre

Drama, Thriller, Crime

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Director

Brian G. Hutton

Production Companies

Filmways Pictures

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The First Deadly Sin Audience Reviews

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
deram-77963 I don't think it was that bad. It was unusual for the detective to have help looking at address cards from a recent widower and curator.
HotToastyRag While the heart of The First Deadly Sin is a detective crime story, part of the movie is a tender and unusual romance. Frank Sinatra stars as a tired, not very young detective who tries to solve a murder he's been given very few clues to go off of. Sometimes in detective movies, once a clue clicks into place, an arrest is quickly made afterwards. In this one, Frank and his co-workers exhaust themselves to find out exactly what a clue means, and how to prove it actually is a clue, which is both realistic and well written.When not on the clock, Frank visits his wife Faye Dunaway in the hospital. She's had a difficult operation, and their scenes together are tender, sad, and touching. He brings her little presents, she tries to seem like she has more strength than she feels, and the audience can see both their pain. These scenes, although terribly sad, are the best parts of the movie. But it also makes for a pretty heavy storyline, so if you're going to watch this one, make sure you have some Kleenexes nearby.
boknyc I recently watched this movie only because it was on my high def station and it "looked" pretty good, but after waiting over an hour to become interested in it, it ended with a confusing and ho-hum climax. Sinatra sleepwalks through the entire movie and looks completely bored. Faye has one of the worst roles in movie history. Can someone explain this ending to me sometime? On second thought, don't bother. If you love Frank and NYC movies from the 80s, this might work for you, but only if you don't mind a story that never really achieves liftoff. The Dunaway role is such a waste of her talent, and him calling her "kiddo" in every scene kind of creeped me out.
tonypuma The First Deadly Sin is a startlingly incongruent mix of 80s vigilante cop and old fashioned gumshoe thriller. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but there's some tension built up in between the general scenery-chewing of Sinatra and others. One wonders exactly what made Sinatra think this was a good idea- he appears pretty bored throughout the film, perhaps shooting for a Philip Marlowe weariness and falling very short. The overall tone of the movie emphasizes the darkness and bleak surroundings of the city, and admittedly the lighting and tone is very dramatic. Sinatra plays a senior police officer in New York who is just about to finish up the job and retire when a strange random murder appeals to him and he becomes the only cop who sees a pattern. His wife, played by Faye Dunaway, is hospitalized throughout the film and Sinatra's character visits her frequently to try and cheer her up as well as criticize the doctors for not doing enough for her.The supporting cast fills in lots of gaps here and makes this fit in, albeit very strangely, with the NYC exploitation style that was current at the time. The great Joe Spinell shows up as a doorman, James Whitmore as the coroner, Brenda Vaccaro, Robert Weil, Eddie Jones, Victor Arnold and even a one-second appearance of Bruce Willis in his first film role. We see the horribly typical subtle racism of Jews and Latinos in New York City being displayed by stereotypes, as well as other policemen shown as haggard and corrupt, merely to contrast with Sinatra's "white knight" character. Sinatra is shown as the anachronism within the decay of the city- none of the police seem to be able to make any difference, so it takes Sinatra's illegal activities to reduce the story to a simple good vs. evil struggle. Sinatra is so bizarrely set in the story he dresses up like Bogart with a cocked Fedora and even is shown digging up an old Luger to carry in another scene. We never understand why he is so antiquated or what the point is of contrasting him in 1980 Manhattan.Too many misshapen ideas clog this film-- for instance, why exactly is Faye Dunaway in the hospital throughout the film? There is an insistence on a religious overtone throughout the film (besides the title, there are crosses displayed everywhere)that is never explained. Anthony Zerbe phones in a quick appearance as a police captain who tries to reel in Sinatra, who is retiring in mere days from decades on the force. If it weren't bad enough that Zerbe appears needlessly drunk in this scene, his character is supposed to be a no-nonsense captain and when Sinatra asks if he can stay on the case, Zerbe basically says "sure, whatever". The two people who break down the murderer's identity are bizarrely the curator of the renowned Arms & Armor wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the wife of the murderer's first victim! Sinatra merely leaves the scene to let them do the work, appropriately showing his seemingly little concern for the plot of this film.The First Deadly Sin is a very confusing film with more loose ends than a thread factory. Sinatra picked a very odd piece of work to make his last starring role and there must be some interesting story behind what happened with this obviously well-budgeted film. Sinatra was never an amazing actor but this is just a mess.