The First Power is a 1990 American horror film/neo-noir, directed by Robert Resnikoff and starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Tracy Griffith, Jeff Kober and Mykelti Williamson.
Plot teaser:
A young man, Patrick Channing, born out of an incestuous relationship and having endured an emotionally, psychologically scarring childhood, gives in to the dark side of Satanic forces and becomes a weapon of evil. He kills with such ferocity that he becomes the main target of the L.A.P.D. Detective Russell Logan – a specialist in catching serial killers – who engages in a battle of wits with Channing. It appears that the killer can’t be stopped, but Logan has a few tricks of his own to match Channing’s-“First Power”…
Musician Nick Cave was considered for the bad guy/Patrick Nanning role. Cave, who was touring the US at the time, did audition for the role, but later said he was glad he had not been awarded the part.
During filming, numerous press materials listed the title as Transit – because of the killer’s ability to jump between bodies as a way of moving around the city. Orion, the film’s US distributor, decided in post-production to re-title the film The First Power so potential audience members would be more aware of its supernatural/horror elements.
Buy The First Power on Blu-ray from Amazon.com
Reviews:
“The First Power is one of my top “guilty pleasure” films. Sure, with a tighter script to back it up, it could’ve been more than just fun Swiss Cheese, but I still manage to have a Merry Dead-Mas with it every time. If you’re looking for a somewhat silly, yet dark, opus that offers a string of inventive chases, easy scares, a badass killer that jumps in slow motion a lot and a Lou Diamond Phillips that just can’t get stop getting a beating…YOU JUST HIT PAY DIRT!” Arrow in the Head
“There is some pretty amazing stuntwork going on in here and though they were ridiculous, I think they had a big part in why I ended up liking this so much. You know, it’s your standard late 80’s early 90’s supernatural thriller/detective story about a cop chasing a serial killer, only they throw in some insane stuntwork out of nowhere that serves no real purpose in moving the story along, but looks great on screen. Sometimes, depending on your taste or mood, it can be enough. In this case, for me it was.” robotGEEK’S Cult Cinema
“The First Power is a good old occult thriller mixed with a nineties cop-movie. Lou Diamond Phillips might look very young, but he’s good and handles the action and drama well – and shows of his hairless chest a couple of times. But Jeff Kober steals every scene he’s in as usual, and that’s fine with me. He makes even the most boring movies a little bit better.” Ninja Dixon
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