Stubborn Supernatural Scofflaw: The First Power (1990)
Dear readers, I hate to be the kind of boorish company that plagues his audience with his own ailments but I fear it necessary to mention a highly relevant case of acute bronchitis that left your author in a gagging state of dismay. For nearly a fortnight I fretted and wheezed and generally drove my dear Penny Dee to hysterics. And then the day broke, the symptoms slid away and I was able to taste the air without violent repercussion. For two days I rejoiced, knowing now what it is to take one’s airy passageways for granted. But then, cruel fate, the symptoms came crashing in again, seizing my sinuses this very morning. It is in this state of mind that I viewed The First Power and I feel quickly thrust into a deep empathetic state for Detective Russell Logan (Lou Diamond Phillips), who also sees a presumably vanquished adversary beating a hasty return.
A helpful local broadcast with a graphics team that is probably doing their best
Detective Russel Logan is the sort of rough-and-tumble officer whose stiff pursuit of ne’er-do-wellers leads him to disregard meaningless protocol like warrants and civility. He’s the sort of man who pops a cork over news of a successful execution and kidnaps civilian informants if he damned well feels like it. In his storied career he’s apprehended three serial killers, the latest of which is Patrick Channing (Jeff Kober), the Pentagram Killer. Patrick, however, is no ordinary “perp” (even in quotations I feel a little thrill at including this tidbit of hardboiled vernacular) and despite being admonished and executed for his murderous ways, he simply refuses to stop murdering.
Most murders would be thoroughly stymied by being dead and might give up on the whole enterprise entirely -- but not our Patrick! Though his tenacity should be partially credited, Patrick has also been blessed by the Dark Lord himself with the eponymous first power, the power of resurrection. This allows Patrick to continue his Satanic-themed brand of murdering without being hindered by mortality. The first power also comes with a number of complementary powers, including possessing others at will, superhuman strength, resilience to falling from great heights and the ability to turn a detached ceiling fan into a formidable piece of offensive weaponry like Lionel Cosgrove with a lawnmower. All in all, it makes for a particularly stubborn supernatural scofflaw.
Lou Diamond Phillips, decisive man of action
The First Power announces itself as a bit of a hybrid right from the start. While chills are certainly on offer, the machismo flows a little more readily. Much glass is shattered, many shots are fired, and a few fists are flung. While none of this commotion is particularly frightening, Patrick’s first appearance has powerful flashes of eerie brilliance and his pre-murder ritual is rather chilling. Despite all the body-hopping antics he exhibits after his execution, Patrick is his most disturbing while still shackled to his corporeal form, no doubt the filmmaker’s efforts to demonstrate that no matter what unearthly powers the dark lord may bestow, the most frightening of manifestations is always man himself.
The First Power runs 98 minutes and is rated R.
