The First Power
Encyclopedia
The First Power is a 1990
American
horror film
/neo-noir
, directed by Robert Resnikoff. It starred Lou Diamond Phillips
, Tracy Griffith
, Jeff Kober
and Mykelti Williamson
.
Patrick Channing (played by Jeff Kober
), known by most as the Pentagram Killer, is at large in Los Angeles
, killing innocent people as a sacrifice
to Satan
. His specific MO
is engraving a pentagram
symbol into the flesh of his victims before killing them.
Detective Russell Logan (played by Lou Diamond Phillips
) is determined to bring the Pentagram Killer to justice. He receives an anonymous phone call from a psychic
called Tess Seaton (played by Tracy Griffith
) who can "sense" where the killer is going to strike next. With time running out for the next victim Logan decides to take Tess on her word. Logan goes on a stakeout
and successfully tracks down Channing's lair. During a struggle in which Logan apprehends Channing, Logan receives a severe stab wound to his torso.
Logan manages to recover from his stomach
injury
and Channing is turned over to the death penalty authorities. Tess makes another phone call to Logan pleading with him that Channing must not be executed. Logan, who is satisfied that Channing is now caught and cannot harm another person, is not interested in sparing the serial killer from what he believes is a much deserved fate. Channing is later convicted and sentenced to be killed in the gas chamber
. However, since Channing was a worshipper of Satan, Satan seemingly grants Channing The First Power -- resurrection
. This is the first of three special powers Channing is attempting to gain, and is directly stated in the movie that Jesus Christ also possessed all three of these powers. Channing returns from beyond the grave and is able to appear or disappear at will, as well as possess others. His main objective now becomes to get his revenge on Russell Logan as well as continue his work. Logan must then team up with Tess in order to find a way to defeat Channing once and for all.
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
/neo-noir
Neo-noir
Neo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilize elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.-History:The term Film Noir was coined by...
, directed by Robert Resnikoff. It starred Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I...
, Tracy Griffith
Tracy Griffith
Tracy Griffith is an American actress and chef. She is the daughter of actor and producer Peter Griffith and model/actress Nanita Greene, and the older sister of production designer and set decorator Clay A. Griffith. She is also the half-sister of actress Melanie Griffith...
, Jeff Kober
Jeff Kober
Jeff Kober is an American actor, known for his performances on television and film.-Major work:Jeff Kober, a native of Billings, Montana, was born on December 18, 1953. Not satisfied with being a rancher, Kober relocated to the L.A. area in his twenties with the desire to become an actor...
and Mykelti Williamson
Mykelti Williamson
Michael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
.
Plot
A sadistic serial killerSerial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Patrick Channing (played by Jeff Kober
Jeff Kober
Jeff Kober is an American actor, known for his performances on television and film.-Major work:Jeff Kober, a native of Billings, Montana, was born on December 18, 1953. Not satisfied with being a rancher, Kober relocated to the L.A. area in his twenties with the desire to become an actor...
), known by most as the Pentagram Killer, is at large in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, killing innocent people as a sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
to Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
. His specific MO
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
is engraving a pentagram
Pentagram
A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
symbol into the flesh of his victims before killing them.
Detective Russell Logan (played by Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I...
) is determined to bring the Pentagram Killer to justice. He receives an anonymous phone call from a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
called Tess Seaton (played by Tracy Griffith
Tracy Griffith
Tracy Griffith is an American actress and chef. She is the daughter of actor and producer Peter Griffith and model/actress Nanita Greene, and the older sister of production designer and set decorator Clay A. Griffith. She is also the half-sister of actress Melanie Griffith...
) who can "sense" where the killer is going to strike next. With time running out for the next victim Logan decides to take Tess on her word. Logan goes on a stakeout
Stakeout
Stakeout is a 1987 film directed by John Badham and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez, Madeleine Stowe, Aidan Quinn, and Forest Whitaker...
and successfully tracks down Channing's lair. During a struggle in which Logan apprehends Channing, Logan receives a severe stab wound to his torso.
Logan manages to recover from his stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
and Channing is turned over to the death penalty authorities. Tess makes another phone call to Logan pleading with him that Channing must not be executed. Logan, who is satisfied that Channing is now caught and cannot harm another person, is not interested in sparing the serial killer from what he believes is a much deserved fate. Channing is later convicted and sentenced to be killed in the gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
. However, since Channing was a worshipper of Satan, Satan seemingly grants Channing The First Power -- resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
. This is the first of three special powers Channing is attempting to gain, and is directly stated in the movie that Jesus Christ also possessed all three of these powers. Channing returns from beyond the grave and is able to appear or disappear at will, as well as possess others. His main objective now becomes to get his revenge on Russell Logan as well as continue his work. Logan must then team up with Tess in order to find a way to defeat Channing once and for all.
cast
| Actor / Actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Lou Diamond Phillips Lou Diamond Phillips Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I... |
Russell Logan |
| Mykelti Williamson Mykelti Williamson Michael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for... (Mykel T. Williamson) |
Det. Oliver Franklin |
| Jeff Kober Jeff Kober Jeff Kober is an American actor, known for his performances on television and film.-Major work:Jeff Kober, a native of Billings, Montana, was born on December 18, 1953. Not satisfied with being a rancher, Kober relocated to the L.A. area in his twenties with the desire to become an actor... |
Patrick Channing |
| Dennis Lipscomb Dennis Lipscomb Dennis Lipscomb is an American actor.Lipscomb's first feature film was Union City . From the early 1980s to the 1990s, Lipscomb appeared in key roles in various motion pictures including Eyes of Fire , WarGames , The Day After , A Soldier's Story , Amazing Grace and Chuck , Sister, Sister , The... |
Cmdr. Perkns |
| Carmen Argenziano Carmen Argenziano Carmen Antimo Argenziano is an American actor who has appeared in over 50 movies and around 100 television movies or episodes.... |
Lt. Grimes |
| Clayton Landey Clayton Landey Clayton Landey is an American actor who has appeared in films and television shows. He is perhaps best known for his role in the TV series Knots Landing as James Westmont from 1982-1983, he also appeared on the HBO series 1st & Ten as Roger Barrow.... |
Mazza |
| Tracy Griffith Tracy Griffith Tracy Griffith is an American actress and chef. She is the daughter of actor and producer Peter Griffith and model/actress Nanita Greene, and the older sister of production designer and set decorator Clay A. Griffith. She is also the half-sister of actress Melanie Griffith... |
Tess Seaton |
| Sue Giosa | Carmen |
| Oz Tortora | Antonio |
| Dan Tullis Jr. Dan Tullis Jr. Dan Tullis, Jr. is an American actor most notable for his role as Officer Dan on the sitcom Married... with Children. He has also appeared in other shows such as The District, Home Improvement, 227 and Rachel Gunn, R.N..Tullis is currently serving as a radio and television spokesman for Select... |
Cop at Arrest |
| Hansford Rowe Hansford Rowe Hansford Rowe is an American character actor who has starred in films and on television. He has been known to play ministers in some of his roles.... |
Father Brian |
| Grand L. Bush Grand L. Bush Grand Lee Bush is an American actor of stage, television and major motion pictures.-Personal life:Bush was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Essie and Robert Bush, who was an actor... |
Reservoir Worker |
| Bill Moseley Bill Moseley William "Bill" Moseley is an American film actor and musician who has starred in a number of cult classic horror films, including House of 1000 Corpses, Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Devil's Rejects. His first big role was in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as Chop Top... |
Bartender |
| David Gale David Gale (actor) David Quentin Gale was a British actor.He is primarily known for his role as the evil, autocratic Dr. Carl Hill in the 1985 cult classic film Re-Animator, and its 1990 sequel Bride of Re-Animator... |
Monsignor |
| Philip Abbott Philip Abbott Philip Abbott was an American character actor and occasional voice actor.Abbott was a secondary lead in several films of the 1950s and 1960s. Miracle of the White Stallions... |
Cardinal |