First Power, The (Blu-ray / DVD)
Padraig Cotter
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Starring Lou Diamond Philips, Tracy Griffith, Jeff Kober
Directed by Robert Resnikoff
Distributed by 88 Films
The late-1980’s/ early 1990’s saw a raft of “Executed Serial Killer Seeks Revenge on the Living” movies, which was a fun but short-lived subgenre. 1990’s The First Power came along during the end of this cycle, after similar movies like Wes Craven’s Shocker, The Horror Show and Prison.
The story has Lou Diamond Philips’ obsessive cop bringing a satanic killer (Jeff Kober) to justice, but it turns out executing him has only led to bigger problems. Now the killer’s spirit is free to hop bodies and torment Philips, who teams with a psychic to find a way to kill the unkillable. Turns out it’s not easy.
There’s no denying it, The First Power is pure hokum; but it’s lively, entertaining hokum. It’s a fusion of a typical 1980’s cop movie with a supernatural thriller, with Philips’ detective being a chain smoking badass who doesn’t play by the rules. His partner practically has “dead meat” stapled to his forehead and he even has an angry chief to deal with. The movie embraces the silliness, though, and the supernatural angle gives it a unique feel.
Philips is fine in a fairly rote part, but Kober is the MVP. He’s magnetic whenever he appears, which is sadly infrequent given the storyline. The movie has to break a few rules in the finale so he can be brought back, but that’s easy to overlook. The story overall is sloppy with the logic surrounding the killer’s abilities, making it seem like he can do anything at anytime. At least something like Fallen – a film with a suspiciously similar premise – established what the rogue spirit could and couldn’t do. The First Power doesn’t really bother with the little details.
It’s more of an action thriller than a horror flick anyway, with a focus on chases, stunts and fight scenes. It appears all the cigarettes Philips smokes throughout doesn’t impair his ability to run, since he spends a good 30% of the movie chasing or being chased. The stunt sequences are well shot and pretty impressive in parts. This includes a nasty car flipping scene and a performer leaping off a ten story building and landing safely below; the visible wire undermines the shot somewhat, but he’s a braver man than me.
Despite the action focus, there’s some decent suspense too, including an opening sequence where Philips races against time to foil a murder, or a scene where the killer makes inventive use of a ceiling fan. The score is suitably eerie, and genre stalwarts like Bill Moseley and David Gale pop up for cameos.
The First Power came along during a period where horror franchises were the big ticket, so it makes the mistake of leaving a sequel hook. Apparently, the ending was re-shot to be more action centred – which explains some lapses in narrative logic – but the ambiguous final scene feels abrupt, and it’s doubtful the movie was supposed to end on such a rushed, unsatisfying note.
Nonetheless, The First Power is a fun addition to this oddly specific subgenre. It’s been somewhat forgotten in recent years, so if you’ve ever been curious now’s the time to seek it out. 88 Films re-release boasts great picture quality – to the point where stunts doubles are a little too obvious – and it’s the best the movie has looked in a long, long time.
p.s. Apparently, The First Power it was Easy-E’s favourite movie, to the point where he recorded a tribute to it; odd, but true.
Special Features:
- 88 Films Trailer Reel
- Reversible Sleeve with Alternate Artwork
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Film
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