The First Power (1990)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Wonderfully offbeat film!

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Patrick Channing,born out of an incestuous relationship, and living through an emotionally scarring childhood, gives in to Satanic forces and becomes a murderer known as The Pentagram Killer.He becomes the main target of Detective Russell Logan, whom engages in a battle of wits with Channing in life and after death.It appears that Channing can't be stopped, because sentencing him to death gave him the titular power...If the summary sounds familiar, that's because it was remade in 1997 as the Denzel Washington film 'Fallen'. And while that film is the better known and has the bonus of a more 'talented' cast, this one is by far the most fun.Finally after years of being sandwiched between Kiefer Sutherland, Diamond Phillips gets his own action vehicle, and he's loving every minute of it.His Logan is your atypical yuppie late eighties cop. Wearing trousers up to his chin, holding a gun in a very silly way while running down dark alleyways with Melanie Griffiths less famous sister.And the film gets straight to the point with an outstanding film stealing performance from Kober as the antagonist. Kober must have known that this would have been a breakout performance for him, so he gives it his all, absolutely owning every scene that he's in.Phillips is good, but he's just playing the straight second fiddle cop to the maguffin of the film, namely the killer. So whilst we are following the narrative from Logans point of view, what your really waiting for is what he will discover next, and whose body will be taken over next.It's a good looking film, especially when you consider the budget, and the fact that it could have easily have been stuck in a fashion/music time capsule (there is the trousers though).some of the stunt work is pretty jaw dropping, even today, particularly the car chase, the way once the killer is reborn he knows martial arts, and the films standout scene, the jump from the building, which is alone worth watching the film for.So all in all, it's a forgotten slice of early nineties cheese, but thanks to the recent release of the Blu Ray, it may finally get the recognition it deserves.

Kept me entertained while it was on, just not the most memorable horror movie I have ever seen as I only have a few images of it stored in my mind. The movie was about a serial killer with powers that made him rather hard to kill and get rid of, some religious stuff and this and that and Lou Diamond Phillips looking rather bored in this one for the most part. The movie needed more horror...wow what a surprise for me to say, eh? Actually, I say it quite often on movies of these types, ones that can not decide whether to be thrillers or horror movies. So you get some scenes of creepiness, but not many. You mainly get Lou and a helper try to find a way to stop the seemingly unstoppable killer. I would like to be more specific in what went on, but the main thing I remember is the ending and while not great I would still rather not ruin it for anyone. Just a forgettable movie that is decent enough to keep one's brain occupied for a bit, you just are not going to remember the movie long after.

I've got to be honest here: I first saw this movie in my teens and loved it, so I might be a bit biased here, ignoring it's flaws. Just saw it again, over 10 years later, and I gotta say, while it didn't have the 'wow' effect it gave me before, It still holds up as a decent movie. This movie is fast paced and just crammed with awesome ideas that sometimes work, and sometimes could have been used more effectively.What do we have? An insane serial killer - This guy just oozes evil, amazing bad guy. A very cute psychic - man did I have a crush on her!Plenty of mysterious happenings and scares (though not very scary for seasoned moviegoers)Cool action sequences. That ceiling fan scene is so awesome. Satanic superpowers. How is that not super cool? The pacing is great, with lots of interesting scenes. Nice touches of humor now and then.So What could be better?The ending is a bit unsatisfying. Things could be bigger and more epic. While decent, Lou Diamond Philips could be replaced with many other actors, and there are more charismatic ones out there. Seeing it again, it wasn't that scary, but I remember that it was the first time. Could be scarier though, I guess.If you analyze things too much, there are lots of small plot holes.This movie is like an older, more low budget version of 'End of Days' with Arnold Schwarzenegger (which I liked as well). If what I told you sounds interesting, this movie is a great way to spice up a boring Sunday evening!

"The First Power" is a certainly decent entry that really could've been much worse.**SPOILERS**Following a rash of supposedly Satanic slayings, police officer Russell Logan, (Lou Diamond Phillips) is given information about Patrick Channing, (Jeff Kober) a killer suspected of the crimes. Managing to catch the killer with help of his partner Oliver Franklin, (Mykelti Williamson) they get him executed. Shortly afterward, psychic Tess Seaton, (Tracy Griffith) comes forward that he wasn't supposed to be executed, but now that he has, they're all in great danger. When he manages to kill several other police officers shortly after, he becomes even more attached to the case. When Tess and Russell begin to work together, they find that he has acquired The First Power, a special ability that will allow him to resurrect his spirit for any purpose he wants. Determined to end his reign of terror once and for all, they race to atop him before he is able to gain immortality from his powers.The Good News: This wasn't as bad as it really could've been. This is mostly due to it's big pacing. The first half isn't concerned with searching for the killer, who is now thankfully apprehended in the first twenty minutes. That puts the escape shortly after, and the rest of the film is simply devoted to chasing the killer down. The chases aren't that bad either, with a car chase through a crowded parade route being particularly impressive. That it goes from there to a foot chase inside a giant high-rise isn't bad, and it concludes with one of the greatest stunts in the genre that has to be seen to be believed. Other chases, especially those through the sewer system being propelled by a torrent of raging water and a particularly tense hotel passage way standing out from the others. These are perfectly inserted into the film at the best interval from the previous one to keep the action going and the pace going forward, as it seems like the film never really stops at all once the killer gets out. That's the proper way to keep the audience guessing, since it's unknown what will come next, a foot chase, a car chase or a shootout, and that also keeps them in the film due to it never seeming to slow down at all. The chases are kept perfectly spaced out, leaving enough time for the plot points in between to feel naturally brought up and for the film to feel like it just whizzes by because of the amount of time taken up because of them. It does have some somewhat interesting kills, including several slit throats, a victim set on fire, a stabbing in the chest, being impaled on a pile of pipes after being thrown onto them and a dunking in a bat of acid. The most impressive, though, is when one of them is trampled by a horse, who repeatedly steps on them and begins pounding away. It's a really impressive and creative one, and that it leads into a marvelous chase isn't something to dismiss. The constant dream-scares are slightly annoying, yet they provide some genuinely thrilling moments and get the best scares in the film. Whether that's good or bad is debatable, but they look good regardless. Certainly not as bad as it easily could've been.The Bad News: There isn't much wrong with this one. Most of it's flaws stem from it's complete inability to make sense of anything. There's a real lack of explanation here given for anything here, and it makes the story look really bad. The most obvious one is a flub about what power the killer actually has. This is given when the differences are stated about the three powers that God or Satan can bestow on their disciples. The "first power" being resurrection, the "second" is seeing the future, and the "third power" is the ability to take over another person's body. That, though, is exactly what the killer has. Time and again, this shows us that the killer is possessing victims rather than simply bringing himself back from the dead. This also brings up the fact that it's never given how the killer is connected with any Satanic powers at all. There's nothing given about the connection other than a few demonic carvings. That's not a strong connection, and it's all we get. The reason why they escaped from the prison isn't given either. It just happens and nothing is stated how it happened. This lack of explanations is the film's only real flaw, and it's the one that knocks it down the most.The Final Verdict: While this makes no sense at all and contains tons of plot inconsistencies, it's at least packed with enough action and stunts to keep it watchable. Check your mind at the door and enjoy, otherwise skip it as there's nothing here that hasn't been seen before in much better made films.Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Brief Nudity