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:
Synopsis

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?

... View More
Stream Online

The movie is currently not available onine

Director

Producted By

Filmways Pictures

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Images

Reviews

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
disdressed12 int his police drama,Frank Sinatra plays a police detective just weeks from retirement,trying to solve a string of murders and stop the murder from killing again.there's another little subplot thrown in that has nothing to do with the rest of the movie,but is merely added to make the film more interesting dramatically,at least,i think that's the reason.Sinatra is very good here,and really the only central character.the rest of the cast are in supporting roles or extended cameos.anyway,the film does work.it's very atmospheric,and the tone is one of almost melancholy,but it works here.my vote for The First deadly Sin is a 6/10
rowmorg Sinatra financed this movie and starred in it, so he is wholly responsible for it, and it shows just what a ghastly gangster-fascist he really was, because --- as no one on this board appears to have even noticed --- it wholly endorses police murder.With the notoriously whitewashed De Menezes and Dziezinski police killings, plus scores of taser deaths, fresh in our minds, we should be calling for this film to be withdrawn from circulation, including from lending libraries. What validity is there in a film that shows its hero taking a death sentence into his own hands, and executing a villain with impunity? Sinatra is supposed to be an Irish detective-sergeant nearing his retirement when serial killings occur. Perhaps the Irish theme explains the prominent Catholic crucifixes on display in various scenes. Or perhaps they are just proto-fascist totems for the vigilante faithful.This film not only endorses repellent values, it is utterly idiotic, with Sinatra conducting a series of interviews to arrive at the screamingly obvious fact that the crimes were committed with an ice-pick. The blindingly blatant ID of the weapon takes him several days, and involves an improbable character undertaking part of the investigation on his behalf. Ridiculous! In an unrelated series of scenes Faye Dunaway, his much-younger wife, is expiring from complications arising from a kidney removal. This gives Frank ample room to display his inability to act, which we have to add to his inability to judge a script or to embrace civilised values.When he summarily executes the killer, this moronic cop (who took a week to identify an ice-pick), transgresses all police regulations, civil and moral law, but all he has to do is turn in his badge and he walks free.An utterly contemptible monument to a disgusting man and the hideously violent and sociopathic circles he moved in. Avoid completely.
criddic2 MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS I rate this film 7 out of 10 mainly for the strength of Frank Sinatra's performance.He plays a retiring police detective, whose wife has fallen ill and is slowly dying in the hospital. Seeking to distract himself from his personal troubles, he becomes deeply involved in trying to solve a series of murders and stop the killer.The story is based on a novel by Lawrence Sanders, who wrote a series of "Deadly Sin" mysteries. It provided Sinatra with his final starring role in a film, and he plays it well. As the worn-out aging cop, he is effective and moving in several scenes. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't play fair with its audience regarding the killer and it never reaches the tension necessary to be more interesting as a thriller. Thankfully, Sinatra is in nearly every scene and has some nice interactions with supporting players like James Whitmore, Brenda Vaccaro and Martin Gabel.It's David Dukes' killer that we never really get to know. He's alternately bold and weak, and we are never given any insight into why. In a more exciting thriller, we might overlook that flaw, but here it makes the chase a little less interesting. However, as I said, the Sinatra scenes are plenty and they are well-done. For example, there's a nice scene where he buys ten minutes to snoop around an apartment to look for clues. And the scenes with Whitmore's coroner and Gabel's curator are nicely played.Had the makers of the film, which include executive producer Sinatra, been more in-tuned to the serial-killer aspect, they may have balanced out the film a bit more. Also, Faye Dunaway is wasted in her role as the dying wife. She's fine acting her scenes, but has so little to work with that she's almost non-existent. Some complain about the down-beat ending, but I feel that it fits well in the context of the film. As it is, "First Deadly Sin" represents a solid, yet somber, final star vehicle for Frank Sinatra.
nicbudd-1 This was seriously a depressing movie. The whole time, I was wondering "when will it lighten up?" It didn't. . I'm a big Sinatra fan, so I had high hopes.. The acting of the killer was fantastic. Sinatra played the part to perfection. In fact, all the actors did a great job. The plot was even interesting, and captivating at times. There's a museum curator in the movie who has the best personality ever.. BUT Watch out for this one if you don't like sad stories!