Devil in a Blue Dress – Review

It is a shame that this movie never really caught on in the 90s when it released, as an ongoing detective series featuring Denzel Washington’s character Easy Rawlins would have been great. This movie is based on a book series featuring a black war hero in 1940s Los Angeles. Easy is in need of work, and is motivated to maintain his neighborhood house and stay afloat of bills.

He quickly is mixed up in what sounds like an easy job: help track down missing white girl Daphne Monet, who has a reputation of spending times at black jazz clubs. As Easy continues his search, a tornado of nefarious characters and plots surrounds him. While navigating treacherous terrain full of dirty cops, wealthy politicians, bullets, thugs AND racism, Easy has his work cut out for him.

While the performances are great, the script is pretty smart, and the setting full of classic cars and a slower pace is very well presented. Splash in a bit of jazz, and this noir detective flick has all the elements. As much as Denzel perfectly fits the starring role, the film is equally worth seeing for the always excellent Don Cheadle, playing the unhinged Mouse. Holy shit.