The First Deadly Sin

Description

Lawrence Sanders' nerve-fraying bestseller stars Frank Sinatra as a New York detective coping with his wife's mysterious and incurable illness -- and hunting an ice hammer-wielding killer. Year: 1980

Customer Reviews:

A subtle an' creepy adult thriller; one'a Sinatra's best..........2007-07-05

This is one'a my favorites. A quiet, subtle an' deceptively simple story about an aging New York City detective on the trail of a mysterious an' unattainable serial killer, all while disputing with his superiors who don't seem to think much of the case, and stressing over his wife, the love of his life, who is hospitalized an' on her death bed. It's character-driven more than anything, as you watch Detective Delaney slowly lose his cool as the weight of his troubles bear down on him. He struggles to put on a facade when he speaks to his wife in the hospital, even as she slowly but surely drifts away; the medicine an' antibiotics doin' her no good an' operation after operation coming to no avail. It's heartbreaking when he speaks to her about the house that they've long been interested in buying bein' right in their mits, all while knowing that she is fading fast. With the inevitable loss looming over him, his anger an' frustration turns to determination as, against the warnings of his superiors an' his arrogant new captain, he trails a killer who has been striking at bars, bus stops an' alleyways all over the city.

The real highlight of the movie an' the story to me is Delaney's relationship with his wife though, as it is the motivation behind all his actions, for better or worse. To me, as a devoted fan of Sinatra the actor, this is one'a his best performances. He brings such a range of emotion to this role, and even though he is mostly restrained an' bottled up, he is so obviously ready to snap (this to me comes out most in his confrontation with his wife's doctor; I've never seen Frank display such rage an' spite in a movie). Martin Gabel an' James Whitmore have good side roles as a museum curator an' a cynical coroner, respectively, both of whom are two of the few people who actually believe an' support Delaney's claims about this obvious psychopath; Faye Dunaway, though she isn't in the film as much, gives a good performance as Delaney's dying wife who is rapidly slipping away; an' David Dukes makes for a disturbing psychopath, though the full extent of his character's madness isn't revealed until the final quarter.

But, really, this is by far Frank's movie. As Delaney, he is a person who is losing all that is dear to him an' cannot seem to cope with it an' function normal because of it. Even at his mos' seemingly calm an' collected, you can see the despair beneath the surface. The final scene of him breaking down by his wife's bedside is one'a the FINEST pieces of acting I've ever seen, not jus' by Sinatra, but by ANY actor. This turned out to be his final role, but, even if he hadn't already had an Academy Award-winning acting career behind him, he woulda proved his worth in dramatic cinema with this role alone.

Frank's best.......2003-12-09

I loved this movie. I read the book first and it was wonderful. A friend of mine gave it to me and after that I read all of the books it this series.

I think this it the best movie Frank Sinatra ever made. It is an excellent movie. It is a good crime story and well done. If you like a good who done it movie you will like this one.

Greatly underrated film.......2002-08-24

Those who choose to review don't seem to "get" this film. Sinatra is able to portray the character of a realistically strong, dedicated, and loving man. He is one of the few actors who could pull it off. Sinatra is both believable and fascinating in his role as an exceptional police investigator with a palpable off-beat manliness who maintains his allegiance to his chosen duty while suffering the great tradgedy of his own personal life.

Tepid.......2001-06-13

Disappointing adaptation of Lawrence Sanders' breakthrough bestseller squashes the story down to an under-two-hour format, leaching out the characterizations and offering only a few bare facts. The result is a flat, tepid thriller without much suspense.

In his final dramatic film role, Sinatra shows why he was so highly regarded as a screen performer. Despite a poor script and limp direction, his charisma is sufficient to make this watchable. He conveys genuine emotion and makes it possible for us to empathize with an underwritten character.

Faye Dunaway, unfortunately, is limited to a few scenes, all of which take place in a hospital bed, as she plays Sinatra's dying wife. In the novel, Mrs. Delaney's scenes served as a poignant counterpoint to his search for the killer. He discusses the case with her, sharing all the details, and Sanders paints a powerful portrait of a cop who defeats the killer, but it powerless against the disease that is killing his wife. In the movie this does not come off at all, and viewers not familiar with the book may wonder why these scenes were included.

The DVD is a bare bones, full-screen transfer, with no extras.

Sinatra fans may enjoy this film, but I'd recommend reading Sanders' novel instead if you're looking for a gripping hunt-for-the-killer mystery.

Formula stuff ... but it is Sinatra.......2001-05-22

On a par with a good TV movie but nothing special, which is unfortunate for Sinatra's last significant film role. Sinatra, though, is as compelling as always on screen and the film is worth viewing, if not one you'll want to revisit often.

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