The First Deadly Sin is a 1980 film produced by and starring Frank Sinatra, with Faye Dunaway, David Dukes, George Coe and Martin Gabel in his final acting role.
The last of nine films produced by Sinatra and his final starring performance, as the troubled New York City cop Detective Sergeant Edward X. Delaney, The First Deadly Sin was based on a series of popular novels by Lawrence Sanders and was originally slated to be directed by Roman Polanski, who was dropped by Columbia Pictures after statutory rape charges were brought against him.
Co-starring with Sinatra was Faye Dunaway as his ailing wife, bed-ridden in hospital during the entire duration of the film with a rare kidney affliction. The musical score was provided by composer and arranger Gordon Jenkins, who first worked with Sinatra on the 1957 album Where Are You?. One of the bit players was an unknown Bruce Willis who had a walk-on part, virtually unrecognizable as a hat covers most of his face.
The First Deadly Sin was the third production by Sinatra's Artanis production company and was shot on location in New York City. It was premiered on October 23 1980 at Loew's State Theatre in Times Square as part of a benefit for the Mother Cabrini Medical Centre.
Plot
Sgt. Edward Delaney is at the scene of a murder when news comes from the hospital in which his wife is receiving treatment for an unusual kidney illness, that her condition has worsened after an operation. Approaching retirement, and with little to content himself in the face of his wife's condition, Delaney throws himself into the murder case, fascinated by a crime which was committed by what seems to be a very unusual weapon. As the plot thickens and Delenay's wife deteriorates, he starts to cross-section the recent killing with other murders in various parts of the city, trying to find a common link. But a lack of solid leads leaves Delaney at a loose end until an attempt to discover exactly what kind of weapon was used brings that assistance from enthusiastic museum curator, Christopher Langley - played by Martin Gabel - and the police coroner - played by James Whitmore.
Critical Reception
The First Deadly Sin failed to make much of an impression at the box office, whilst some critics were left cold by a slow-burning picture that tried to focus more on character and plot without succumbing to action scenes and shoot-outs. The ending, in fact, was changed from the novel in which a car-chase resulted in a shoot out with the killer. Here, a more subtle approach allowed the ending to be more in tune with the rest of the film. Both Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert, however, praised Sinatra's performance as one of his best, whilst daughter Nancy Sinatra commented in her book Sinatra: An American Legend that this was a film her father was very excited about.
Leonard Maltin: "Sinatra in good form in one of his better serious vehicles."
Awards and nominations
- Nominated: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA Best Supporting Actor Martin Gabel
Cast
External links
