SYNOPSICS
First Degree (1995) is a English movie. Jeff Woolnough has directed this movie. Rob Lowe,Leslie Hope,Tom McCamus,Joseph Griffin are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1995. First Degree (1995) is considered one of the best Crime,Mystery,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
When prominent businessman Andrew Pyne is found shot in a New York alley, one of the NYPD's best, Rick Mallory, suspects a Galeno Mob hit. When he and his partner, Amos Turzo try to question Pyne's widow, Hadley, they are quickly ushered out by her mother-in-law Margeaux. Later when Rick comes back to search Pyne's apartment, he finds material linking the dead man with Endtook, the Galeno's company. The police raid Joe Galeno's house and find the gun that killed Pyne. Joe Galeno is arrested and Rick returns to the Pyne apartment to tell Hadley. She is very distraught, and as Rick comforts her, they become engaged in an ardent affair. Joe Galeno's cousin, Alonzo, is convinced Joe is innocent. He hires Rico Perrini, Rick's former partner, now a private detective, to work on the case. Rico tracks down Pyne's rumored killer, a low-life thug named Tony Fabian, who confesses that Hadley paid him to kill her husband. Rick is now under suspicion and transferred out of homicide. Rick knows ...
More
First Degree (1995) Reviews
Not that bad
I watched this movie on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and though I agree with others that it wasn't the best, it was good enough for that type of viewing, with commercials. The major plus here for me was Tom McCamus, one of my favorite actors, which then gave me a clue that it was a Canadian film. I like Canadian films, I often watch CBC for their offerings. I'm not sure what would have made this movie better because it really does have a pretty good storyline, and a good ending, it just lost something in the translation to film. If someone asked me if it was good, I'd just say watch it if you are not expecting great art, it has its moments.
so derivative you know the whole film, frame by frame, before you see it
I don't mind the same story being told over and over as long as it's well done and well acted. I do mind when it's something like "First Degree," which is just draggy, filled with swearing to spice it up, and has pretentious music. There was one other problem -- some of the actors thought speaking in almost a whisper would be effective. Yes, you effectively can't hear them with the television up to full volume. This had a few redeeming qualities having nothing whatsoever to do with the story. The first is that, looking at Rob Lowe, 31 at the time, the movie could have been made last week. I swear this guy bathes in the blood of virgins or something. The second was getting to see Don Francks, an old TV actor, playing a role in this. And the third was seeing another old TV and movie actor, Bret Halsey, in another role. And that's about it. The story goes like this: A wealthy, prominent New Yorker, Andrew Pyne, is found dead in an alley. The head of the investigation, Rick Mallory (Lowe), believes it to be a mob hit, specifically from the Galeno family. I'll make this short. Though it looks for all the world like a mob hit, some people aren't convinced. Meanwhile, Mallory and the widow (Leslie Hope) begin an affair. So professional. The dead man's mother hires an ex-cop to investigate. He finds the hit man, who claims that the widow paid him to kill her husband. Mallory of course is now under suspicion and is taken off the case and out of homicide. But he is convinced that the widow didn't do it, nor did the mobster Galeno (Bret Halsey). This went right to video, for good reason. I will concede that the ending was good. If you have supersonic ears and you like this sort of film, you may like this.
Can't get to sleep?.... you need 'First Degree'!
Looking all of 29 years old, Rob Lowe is a detective in charge of a murder investigation. When the husband of a society woman (Leslie Hope) is found dead, police suspect the rich chick might have something to do with it. Enter Rob who immediately falls for the pretty widow even though he claims that he's just trying to be 'helpful'. Rob is such a good cop, he is able to sneak some of her incriminating love letters into his coat pocket before he accidentally throws them into the fireplace. Monotonous murky drama with an endless drone of background music. This is a good substitute sleeping remedy if you've run out of Sominex.
Hmph!
There was absolutely nothing in this film that hadn't been done better in a hundred other films. It was barely worth the trouble of watching through to the end. Even the bad language sounded tired. Tom McCamus, a very fine actor, was particularly disappointing here.
I thought this movie was pretty good, actually!
Of course, it's true that story lines are being re-hashed on a constant basis, many films are guilty of this, but really, what can they do? How many endings are unique these days? Seems as if all the story lines are taken! So then it's up to the actors to make it fresh for us and I feel that this film succeeded in doing so! I would recommend it to anyone who needed a new film to watch, that has not been in the theatres, who is interested in maybe seeing all the work of more obscure actors because I have to admit that I hate to see a fine actor such as Tom McCamus WASTED in a movie like this, but even he probably could use a chance to make money now & then for his art. I just want to see everything he's done (and enjoyed his appearance in Stratford in Threepenny Opera, too.)