Elderly Frank Sinatra in a cable-knit sweater, chunky glasses, a silver toupee, and a pet cat <3
The First Deadly Sin is probably only a 3 star movie. It's well-made and acted with an interesting - albeit slow and methodical - plot. But this has to be one of my very favorite Frank performances I've seen. He hadn't starred in any films in 10 years when he made this (except for one TV movie), and you can tell that he respected the material and was passionate about what he was making, as opposed to the 60s where he was doing the bare minimum and nothing more. When Frank wants to be good, he usually is (in my opinion). The character of Delaney isn't really anything special, but Frank brings grit as well as softness to the tired police chief, torn between his career and his wife's health woes. I think Frank's compelling performance is a combination of the gentleness that men lean into with old age (as I saw with my Grandpa and now see with my Dad) and his reclaimed passion for the art (and not just the clout and the paycheck) of acting. It's easy to respect and emphasize with this version of Frank, which was so refreshing after watching a lot of his tacky Rat Pack films. I won't remember The First Deadly Sin as an incredible movie, but I will remember it as one of the most authentically acted and sweetest Sinatra performances of them all.
Elderly Frank Sinatra in a cable-knit sweater, chunky glasses, a silver toupee, and a pet cat <3
The First Deadly Sin is probably only a 3 star movie. It's well-made and acted with an interesting - albeit slow and methodical - plot. But this has to be one of my very favorite Frank performances I've seen. He hadn't starred in any films in 10 years when he made this (except for one TV movie), and you can tell that he respected the material and was passionate about what he was making, as opposed to the 60s where he was doing the bare minimum and nothing more. When Frank wants to be good, he usually is (in my opinion). The character of Delaney isn't really anything special, but Frank brings grit as well as softness to the tired police chief, torn between his career and his wife's health woes. I think Frank's compelling performance is a combination of the gentleness that men lean into with old age (as I saw with my Grandpa and now see with my Dad) and his reclaimed passion for the art (and not just the clout and the paycheck) of acting. It's easy to respect and emphasize with this version of Frank, which was so refreshing after watching a lot of his tacky Rat Pack films. I won't remember The First Deadly Sin as an incredible movie, but I will remember it as one of the most authentically acted and sweetest Sinatra performances of them all.
