The First Power **½ (1990, Lou Diamond Phillips, Tracy Griffith, Jeff Kober, Mykelti Williamson) – Classic Movie Review 11,975

Writer-director Robert Resnikoff’s 1990 American neo-noir horror thriller film The First Power stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Tracy Griffith, Jeff Kober and Mykelti Williamson.

The intense Phillips is fine as Detective Russell Logan, the cop who finds himself haunted by a reincarnated sadistic serial killer, Patrick Channing (Jeff Kober), given immortality by the Devil. The so-called ‘Pentagram Killer’ is at large in Los Angeles, engraving a pentagram symbol into the flesh of his innocent victims before killing them as a sacrifice to Satan.

The First Power starts off promisingly, but the nonsensical plot starts to drift half way through, and some of the performances begin to grate. Tracy Griffith, sister of Melanie, is wasted as the love interest, a psychic called Tess Seaton.

Despite its faults, it is interesting and entertaining, though. It was a financial success, costing $10 million and earning $22,424,195 in the US.

The cast are Lou Diamond Phillips as Detective Russell Logan, Mykelti Williamson as Detective Oliver Franklin, Elizabeth Arlen as Sister Marguerite, Jeff Kober as Patrick Channing, Dennis Lipscomb as Commander Perkins, Carmen Argenziano as Lieutenant Al Grimes, Clayton Landey as Detective Mazza, Tracy Griffith as Tess Seaton, Sue Giosa as Carmen, Oz Tortora as Antonio, Dan Tullis Jr as Cop at Arrest, Hansford Rowe as Father Brian, Grand L. Bush as Reservoir Worker, Bill Moseley as Bartender, David Gale as Monsignor, Philip Abbott as Cardinal, J Patrick McNamara as Priest, Lynne Marta as Nun, Brian Libby as Bum / Detective, Nada Despotovich as Bag Lady, Juliana McCarthy as Mrs. Channing, Charles Raymond as Gang Member #1 and Scott Lawrence as Gang Member #2.

Screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson wrote the original script of the horror thriller film Split Second (1992) as Pentagram in 1988, but the script was changed partly over concerns that it might be thought too similar to The First Power.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 11,975

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