MovieChat Forums > The First Deadly Sin (1980) Discussion > The First Deadly Sin: An Appreciation

The First Deadly Sin: An Appreciation

posted 15 years ago by JohnnyWeissmuller
13 replies | jump to latest

***CONTAINS SPOILERS***

The First Deadly Sin was Frank Sinatra's last hurrah as a leading actor, and with few on-screen roles after Dirty Dingus Magee in 1970 it was, IMHO, a great shame that this fine actor done little to further a hitherto impressive career in the movies... Not that he hadn't reached the apex of the business or didn't have other interests (i.e. his main love, singing) to keep him busy, it's just that the elder Sinatra offered so much gravitas on screen that the punch of Contract and Cherry Street and Pathos of The First Deadly Sin simply leaves one wanting. This, not to mention his final performance in Magnum P.I. .....

On the other hand, how many good and great actors fizzled their careers away in second-rate films giving sub-par performances for the money? Sinatra WANTED to make Cherry St. and The First Deadly Sin and had the right projects materialised or had he sought-to-find keen roles for a man of his age i.e. his leading man days were gone ... I'm sure fine material would have been found.

But let me just throw out a quick appreciation of The First Deadly Sin, because this was a very good film that Frank was said to be excited about, but never got much exposure or praise. It was bleak, perhaps that's why, but it was also cryptic in a sense and hardly a film to contend with some of the box office front-runners of the day, like Star Wars.... Some feel that Faye Dunaway's role is secondary to the main-plot revolving around a serial killer on the loose around the burroughs of New York City, but the latter, I feel is actually the sub-plot and the Sinatra/Dunaway part of the film the central premise. This is where Delaney (Sinatra's character) is grounded and this is where we find out about the man and his relationship with his dying wife. Yes, Dunaway's role is thankless but she's actually very good and does well with the material. Sinatra was splendid in the lead role -- he was very well cast and played every scene brilliantly, or perhaps that should be UNDERPLAYED... He's not chewing up the scenery, but is very real in his emotions; those sad eyes, his dogged determination, loneliness and frustration all ringing true.

The plot itself appears to be simple enough and everyone involved is very good, although the killer himself seems to be thinly sketched... But here's where it becomes a little cryptic. The men he kills are middle-aged or elderly and dressed in a certain way, wearing hats and long coats or macs. Delaney dresses the same, and when he finally trails Blank (the killer) back to his apartment and when Blank goes off on a tangent about feet being bound and being locked in the cupboard, one realises that his father was a paedophile and he's killing men who look similar -- Delaney is one such man and that's where he bares his soul before realising better. This is a pathetic creature... A victim of his childhood and, in turn, his victims a victim of his pain and aguish, now a complete sociopath.

Delaney's final scenes with his wife are as sad as can be -- this film must be one of the most bleak ever made: the death of Barbara is felt in Sinatra's facial expressions and as his voice cracks, but doesn't fail, as he finishes reading a nursery rhyme to his wife. This is devestating in effect and nigh-on Oscar worthy from Sinatra had this been a film with better exposure

NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

That is an excellent, right-on-the-mark summation of the strengths of this film in general and of Frank's role in it in particular.

I was expecting more of a crime drama, but I was very pleased to get something much more profound – a middle-age man's meditation on the end of his career and the loss of his wife. Sinatra gives a spot-on performance here that is moving and honest. I'm so tired of Pacino-esque cops who fly off the handle and chew up every scene, and I appreciate Sinatra's thoughtful portrayal of the process of solving the crime and whether it really matters anyway: The victims are dead, his wife is dying, and soon he'll probably be dead too. Downbeat? Absolutely, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Thanks for explaining the meaning of Blank's tangent. I was interpreting him as a victim of abuse by a priest for whatever reason – maybe it's the solemn way he goes about his crimes, maybe the fact that this is set during the Christmas season, maybe it's that he appears to be in the confessional at the end.

I have one question for you: What is the significance of the title? I don't remember any reference to "the first deadly sin" in the film, and the Sixth Commandment is "Though shalt not kill" ... wait, now I get it! Blank was a killer, Delaney saw the doctor as a killer, and Delaney turned out to be a killer at the end. I guess I answered my own question.

I had never heard of this film before I saw it in the clearance bin at a video store for 99 cents. I assume it got pretty poor distribution in 1980, and that's a sin in itself, though somewhat less than deadly. 8/10 stars.

[–] JohnnyWeissmuller 14 years ago

Yeah, think you answered your own question lol .... I'm not really certain about the film's distribution in 1980, however. You'd think that Sinatra's first - and only - major acting role in 3 years (his first on the big screen in 10) would have warranted major attention (all the proverbial stops were pulled out for Contract on Cherry St. in '77!), and although, his age, the material and time between roles may have dimmed his light as a leading man, his credentials spoke volumes never mind the added weight of Faye Dunaway as a co-star.

Perhaps, as I've commented elsewhere and you have alluded to also, the subject matter was just too bleak and the film not quite the kind that was making money in 1980. Few films as slow and considered done well, Atlantic City and The Verdict being two that spring instantly to mind, although critical praise was much higher for those two marvellous films than The First Deadly Sin, despite praise from Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin... The film received its premier at a special charity event in New York, but from there onwards, I have no clue as to its performance at the box office and although it's Sinatra's coup de gras as a leading man on the big screen, I think he went out in style despite having much more in him as an actor. In fact, during an interview with Larry King in the late '80s, King asks Sinatra about making more films and mentions The First Deadly Sin and The Detective with praise for Frank's natural ease in such roles, if memory serves me right. Sinatra said he was keen to find good material and would act again, which, in respect to your comments on Al Pacino makes me think of so many actors who seem to put their names to everything and anything, quality withstanding, after their popular peaks have passed or are of a certain age -- DeNiro also being a prime example of that. I'm glad Sinatra didn't end up making a string of flimsy vehicles or pointless cameos at this stage in his career, but also wish he was less picky or more active in choosing acting roles -- either way, he done so little after The First Deadly Sin that it was a shame a full decade passed when a few more acting roles could have been found.

This said, he was superb in Magnum PI, and media attention was huge, propelling the episode in question (" Laura") to becoming the most watched episode of the Magnum series, and that's saying something... Add to the fact that Frank was really terrific in his role, somewhat following on from The First Deadly Sin being a retired cop privately looking for his Grandaughter's killer... The brevity of a 50 minute show was the only drawback here, Selleck taking a backseat and the prospect of a follow-on there, but not coming to fruition.

NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

Frank most certainly did go out in style and on his own terms. He managed his retirement as he managed his career, which is to say he did it his way (<------ too obvious, of course, but I couldn't resist).

There's something to be said for a talent who chooses his music and his roles very selectively, and Frank certainly did both to the end. I know some folks grumbled at some of the choices on the "Duets" albums, but to me these are an interesting and eclectic end to his music career and an attempt to pass the torch to future generations, at least symbolically.

As for films, Frank never made a bad one that I have seen, never appeared in a "Cannonball Run"-type embarrassment, and never coasted on his name and image. In fact, it's remarkable, outside of the few exceptions like "Ocean's Eleven," how dark and varied most of his roles are. I imagine films like "The Man With the Golden Arm" and "The Manchurian Candidate" frightened away a few of his fans, at least the fair-weather variety.

Regardless of the relative obscurity of "The First Deadly Sin," fans of Sinatra as well as of quality films have more than likely seen the movie and appreciate it. I find that many of the true treasures of pop-culture history are buried a bit below the surface, but I get to them eventually as do others willing to do a bit of digging.

Thanks for mentioning the "Magnum, P.I." episode. I remember the publicity surrounding Frank's appearance on the show, but it was a period when I was watching very little television and realize now that it's an episode I should seek out.

[–] JohnnyWeissmuller 14 years ago

I didn't mind the choices of partners on the Duets projects, although, there were a few singers I would loved to have seen appear, namely Springsteen and Joel. With Frank's films, I think he had an almost ideal balance between commercial projects and more artistic ventures; that's a difficult thing to do and something, in this day-and-age, few actors manage, or, at least manage well -- Cruise and Clooney coming instantly to mind as two who can, and do whilst Burt Lancaster springs to mind from Sinatra's heyday. I guess that's the benefit of being an actor and a producer, something all of the aforementioned have in common, Frank's final movie production being The First Deadly Sin.

Do check out that Magnum PI episode, called Laura - I think it's terrific and is only hampered by its brevity... Frank was really, really superb in his role - almost as good as I've seen him; just so very natural.

NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

Yes, Springsteen and Joel would have been great duet partners for Frank. I remember there was some discussion about him not having actually met some of the people he sang with, and frankly, some of the songs have that "long-distance" studio feel.

I'll look for the "Magnum, PI" episode "Laura." I'm finding an amazing amount of TV shows at the library these days. Thanks again for the recommendations.

[–] JohnnyWeissmuller 14 years ago

Guess it's par for the course nowadays to record duets separately - even those big charity songs are usually cut in part and pieced together, so I guess Frank was ahead of the game once again with Duets, especially with regards to the technology employed by George Lucas's Skywalker Sounds to make the albums.

Still, the grievance was more from Sinatra fans who hated the idea of Frank singing with anyone, or critics with a sharp knife looking to nit-pick -- Frank loved the end result, those around him felt the same and the public lapped it up... IMHO, some of the duets really are terrific, My Way with Pavarotti being so so good, I've Got a Crush on You with Striesand pretty nice and All the Way/One For My Baby with Kenny G, well, outstanding... Oh, and I also love You Make Me Feel So Young with Charles Aznavour -- that just buzzes with energy.

Do look me know what you think of that Magnum PI episode when you find it ... and talking of TV shows, long lost is Sinatra, Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint starring in, what was, a live TV production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town -- and shot in colour back in '55. That would be a gem to see again, and properly.

NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ickidee 12 years ago

'As for films, Frank never made a bad one that I have seen, never appeared in a "Cannonball Run"-type embarrassment'

I'm guessing you didn't watch Cannonball Run II?

[–] WarpedRecord 12 years ago

Whoops! Yes I've seen it, but I guess I repressed it. I stand corrected.

[–] vestdennis 12 years ago

I enjoyed it and wondered why it didn't get better reviews. It is a dark movie but I loved Sinatra in it...

[–] Divtal-1 14 years ago

I'm an enthusiastic fan of Lawrence Sanders' books, and I have been looking for this film in rental stores, without luck. Today, fortune smiled on me, and I found the DVD at a garage sale ... for $1.00!

I haven't read through this whole thread, yet. I want to view the film first. I'm not worried about spoilers, because I've read the book. I'll try to watch it tonight or tomorrow, and chime in.

Except for The First Deadly Sin, and The Anderson Tapes, I don't know of any other Sanders works that have made it to the screen. Does anyone know of others?

[–] JohnnyWeissmuller 14 years ago

I don't know of any other, I'm afraid - The Anderson Tapes was a good film also, perhaps Connery's best non-Bond film. I haven't read The First Deadly Sin, but have been made aware of some differences between the book and film, one of which being a car chase at the climax of the book and another, Delaney's penchant for messy sandwiches that he has to eat over the sink lol.

NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!

[–] heyjohnny40-1 14 years ago

Totally agree. It is in my HO just great to see Frank Sinatra in roles like this. He just seems to have that natural style in acting where he seems to dominate the screen in almost any role he is in.