Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

Some things I liked some I did not.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The mood and atmosphere is musically enchanting and you feel like you're descending into a seedy world on the wrong side of the tracks just this side of luxury and affluence and power and politics and wise guys who know where the real money is stashed. This is a wonderful little Private Eye story about on the level of LADY IN THE LAKE with Robert Montgomery, but Easy Rawlins is here to ferret out the clues from a Black perspective. He does not come to the world of private investigation willingly, but rather has it thrust upon him due to circumstances of unemployment. He is sitting in the bar of his friend Joppy, searching through the want ads when he finds out there is a white man with a job for him.He asks none of the questions he might have with a mortgage to pay on a new house and sundry other expenses. He is simply scuffling to assimilate into the newly emerging Black Middle Class in Los Angeles. Therefore he agrees to meet with a Dewitt Albright, and agrees to search for and find a white woman who has retreated into obscurity within the Black Community. He takes his initial payment and prepares to set to work to locate Daphne Monet. The task on the face of it sounds, well, 'easy', but this is just the beginning of the story...Pretty Boy Rawlins begins to scout around and has his questions answered with questions by an associate and friend of Daphne named Coretta James. Sooner than later, Coretta winds up a stiff and Rawlins finds himself swirling to the bottom of a whole lot of trouble...Denzel Washington is spot on as Easy Rawlings, who simply wants to settle down into a middle class life with the rest of the World War II veterans, but finds his true calling as a Private Investigator. Don Cheadle nearly steals the whole show as Miles Alexander, (originally 'Mouse' in the novel) and comes across as a community icon or archetype. Most Black People will tell you every neighborhood has its 'Mouse' or 'Miles' Alexander. The little guy with a heart of gold, but who you would not leave an alley fight with alive. Don Cheadle channels this personality so well, that it is only Denzel Washington's exceptional acting ability that keeps him from being the Green Hornet to Cheadle's version of Kato.Jennifer Beals is suitably elegant and wonderful as Daphne Monet, but I could not help thinking what it would have been like to have Cassidy Rae, Julia Styles or Ali Larter play Ms. Monet, as these actresses more physically resemble the character in the novel. But she works so well in the ensemble that this is just a moot point. There is also a love scene in the novel that was left out of the film, but I suppose Easy Rawlins can't hit all the spots in Los Angeles.Like the MALTESE FALCON, the film version of DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS is actually an improvement upon the novel, and some of the reviewers here and many people in my neck of the woods would heartily welcome the further adventures of Easy Rawlins on film. This DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS could have been the DOCTOR NO to a whole series of adventures, but that was over twenty years ago now. This could have been suggested at the end of this film simply by having Easy pick up a ringing phone to hear a voice at the other end requesting his help.But there is no time like the present and it's never too late for new adventures.

Generally satisfying neo-noir with some intriguing racial implications (although they're not really explored with much depth). I don't know if it's possible for Washington to give a bad performance, if nothing else he can coast on pure charisma. The rest of the cast is not especially noteworthy, with the exception of Don Cheadle, who makes a lasting impression with very little screen time. The script falls a little bit short, something like Chandler in its construction but lacking in compelling dialogue. However, it keeps you watching, interested in how Washington is going to solve the case while trying to protect himself from attacks on all sides (including an eccentric and/or mentally challenged neighbor insistent on uprooting trees). Technically and production-wise the film is quite strong, evoking the feel of a classic noir (including an Elmer Bernstein score, who also composed for greats like SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS and SUDDEN FEAR) while maintaining a modern sensibility. It didn't blow me away, but it's a solid movie, and I wouldn't mind checking Mosley's "Easy Rawlins" novels.

The most interesting element of the film is what happened subsequent to its release – nothing. All the elements of a good origin story for a movie franchise or a television adaptation (like "MASH") are there: a compelling main character ("Easy Rawlings") a setup for further adventures and the books of Walter Mosley for plot ideas. Also race, which is an essential element to the story of 1948 Los Angeles, continues to be a compelling social topic. Certainly some inherent challenges may have dogged efforts to bring the stories to the big or small screen. Period dramas, particularly those that necessitate car chases through long gone parts of Los Angeles, are expensive and difficult to stage and film. Also, the deus ex machina character of "Mouse" played by Don Cheadle presents some serious moral problems with his twitchiest of hair triggers. Also some of the attempts of dark humor focused mainly around Mouse in a serious noir are jarring and out of context with such dark material. As a standalone film, "Devil in a Blue Dress"-presumably not originally based on the Mitch Ryder song-garners a lot of unproven claims of being underrated from internet and mainstream commentators. Certainly, the movie entertains as Rawlings unravels a mystery involving murder, politics and Jennifer Beals in an early role against a backdrop of racial inequity in America's golden west. However, all of these elements are employed to far more compelling effect in a movie two years later called "L.A. Confidential." In short, fans of noir or Washington / Cheadle should find this as required reading while others should just go with "L.A. Confidential".

Look, I'm not one of those rabid dog book fans that trash a movie based on a book just because it didn't follow the book 100%. I actually read Devil In A Blue Dress years before I saw the motion picture. Now even though the movie changed certain things around, its still pretty good in its own way. The movie is about 85% faithful to the book and even with that in mind it didn't destroy the fond memories of the novel.The story: Easy Rawlins(Denzel Washington) is a world war veteran that is fired from his job at a defense plant. Things in his life get worse when he meets a mysterious fellow by the name of Dewitt Albright(Tom Sizemore) pays him money to find a woman by the name of Daphne Monet(Jennifer Beals).Denzel is perfect as Easy Rawlins and I doubt I could have picked a better person to play Ezekiel Rawlins. Tom Sizemore does a pretty good job as well as Dewitt Albright. He is a creep without being overbearing. Don Cheadle does a pretty good job as Mouse, Easy's crazy but loyal friend. Like I said the movie is 85% loyal to the book so there are a few things the movie changed around(like the way Albright really died) and a few things left out(like the numerous love scenes with Easy and Daphne). Despite that Devil In A Blue Dress is still a treat not just for the fans of Walter Mosley's famous book but to the fans of black cinema period. Two thumbs up.