The First Power (1990)

Simply A Masterpiece

Pretty Good

Just perfect...

Great Film overall

Sister Marguerite is convinced that the events of the Revelation is occurring but her superiors would rather ignore it. An anonymous woman calls LA police detective Russell Logan (Lou Diamond Phillips) with a tip on a serial killer. His team catches serial killer Patrick Channing (Jeff Kober) who is eventually put to death. The mysterious woman had warned against the death penalty. Channing's spirit lives on and is killing Logan's team one at a time. Tess Seaton (Tracy Griffith) reveals herself to be the psychic who called him with the tips.This is filled with the leftovers of a supernatural serial killer thriller. It doesn't have much in the way of originality or surprises. The style is pretty bland and Lou Diamond Phillips is second rate as the action lead. Tracy Griffith is a pretty woman but not a great actress. The beginning is tied up with an uninvolving serial killer case. It would probably be better to leave most of it as flashbacks. It needs to get the movie to the cop and the psychic much faster. It does have some fun with a supernatural killer and the movie keeps me somewhat interested. If it commits more fully with the Jason-like killer, this could be a better horror and a more exciting thriller. The horror effects are more cheesy than scary. It does have one good sequence in the middle.

Lou Diamond Phillips has no less than 95 IMDb acting credits since his 1984 debut as "Punk 1" in Interface – yeah I missed that one too. Many of them are starring roles too, though since his big break in La Bamba in 87 none are bigger than his supporting role in Young Guns. Running down his list of credits shows several familiar films where you sorta think you might've seen it but can't be sure… (From a personal perspective I think I have seen around 15 of LDP's films, NONE since the 90s finished. But I quite like a few of his 90s efforts: Renegades / The Big Hit / Young Guns / Disorganised Crime). But especially The First Power. Watching this film provides all the evidence that you might need to write it off as a disposable B movie, only it is so much better than that. Sure there are cheesy moments and a couple of botched ideas, but in between there are some frankly inspired sequences and a couple of really effective parts.According to me this is the most underrated film in recent history. So there's that. That should make LDP sleep a little more soundly in his cardboard box by the side of the road.LDP is a cop named Russell Logan with a reputation for nabbing the big bad guys. Early in the film Logan nabs a guy known as the Pentagram Killer, a guy named Patrick Channing (Jeff Kober) after a lengthy investigation, a knife to the guts and an anonymous tip. It garners big press because Channing is the most notorious serial killer going, a guy who kills all his victims after various satanic rituals are performed, and he has taken many, many victims.When Channing gets the electric chair it is seen as good riddance to bad rubbish, only Logan receives a call from the anonymous tipster reminding him that the death penalty wasn't part of the deal.Too late, barbecued Channing for all! Who wants the lips, they're considered a delicacy? The only problem is that far from dreading and resisting his fate Channing seems to relish his early exit. Gee wonder why? (Kober as Channing is one of the strengths of the film, he is legitimately creepy looking and plays his role to the hilt.) So that's that then? A 25 minute film! I knew it was low budget but geez… No wait: there's more. After the execution Logan begins having visions and hearing things, If that wasn't bad enough someone has started killing again in the same way as the Pentagram Killer, all the way down to the locations and rituals.Curioser and curioser.To explain matters a red-headed psychic named Tess Seaton (Tracy Griffith) shows up unannounced at the station one day asking for Logan. After a brief back and forth Seaton gives information that only the cops or the killer would know; Logan is of course very intrigued. That is until Seaton claims that none other than the Pentagram Killer himself, Patrick Channing is behind the new batch of murders… obviously a wacko.But then people close to Logan start getting bumped off, mainly cops. He has a change of heart and revisits Tess Seaton for her thoughts along with his partner Ali (Mykel T Williamson). Tess explains that Channing's spirit has been released by his execution and is now free to roam free and possess whichever body he wants in order to perform his naughty acts.Channing preys on the weak and vulnerable, alkies, junkies and the homeless and destitute mostly, and if his "host" dies – or if he just gets bored – his spirit simply jumps to the next blissfully ignorant person. This makes him practically immortal and almost invulnerable, a welcome side issue seems to also be that the inhabited body is granted near superhero status. At times during the film they leap cars, walk through huge fireballs and jump off buildings unharmed, not a bad trade off for having one of Satan's disciples along for the ride.After finally coming around and realising there may be a grain of truth to Tess's story, helped along by him witnessing some of Channing's handiwork in person (so long Ali!) – and having a chat with him no less – the pursuit is on.So for the remainder of the film Logan and Tess are at turns hunting and hunted by Channing. They follow the trail to his childhood home, and consult with a local religious expert who explains the lengths they must go to kill him. All the while Channing keeps on killing and leaving a trail of previous discarded "hosts" in his wake.There are two spectacular stunts, a couple of quality setpieces and a few quotable lines, and thankfully the ending is also strong.Sure The First Power isn't a world beater and there are a couple of moments that show poor judgment, but if you like the vaguely sci-fi, supernatural genre there is much to admire about this film.Final Rating – 8 / 10. LDP might not have been kept too busy in recent years – at least in high profile gigs – but there is some cinematic gold hidden away in the 90s that too many are yet to discover. Combine this film with Renegades and you have a great DVD night at home.

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!