Devil in a Blue Dress: An underrated masterpiece.
If you’ve never seen or heard of this Denzel classic film then I pity you greatly because it is not only one of his finest films to date, it’s also one of the best and most compelling films ever made, especially in the Noir\Mystery genre. Director\Writer Carl Franklin adapted the screenplay from famous black mystery novelist Walter Mosley’s 1990 novel of the same name. The character of Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins appeared in 14 novels by Mosley and when you see the film you will see why this character has become so iconic.
The film is very unique in many ways. For instance it is a mystery\noir film with a predominantly black cast and a black lead detective. How many films have we seen like that then or even now? I always root for films with black people in front or behind the camera to go beyond the typical boundaries of genre we’re pigeon holed in like big comedy, civil rights era, slavery, musical bio pics or hard crime drama, and put us in genres like Mystery, Sci-Fi, Fantasy etc. We need to see this and should want to see this far more often than we do. All that to say that Devil In a Blue Dress was a step in the right direction, giving us the first black mystery film since A Solider Story in 1984, and even pushing further by making this a classic 1940’s private dick Noir film just so happening to star black actors.
Another way that the film is unique is the focus on the black neighborhood community at that time and how black migrants from Texas made an inch closer to the American dream by owning out right their own homes in South Central Los Angeles and how these folks all doing this made them a family:
It’s his house that he owned that motivated everything Easy did in the movie, along with staying out of prison for falsely accused murder, it’s one of the key factors in keeping him in the game and seeing this whole mess through to the very end.
The movie is all about the relationships between Easy and the people in his life just as much as it is about murder, secrets and intrigue. The most crucial relationship in the whole film besides the relationship between Easy and Daphne is the tight brotherhood between Easy and his best friend, the twisted, trigger happy Mouse played to perfection by Don Cheadle who mastered this character so completely that he earned critical acclaim winning a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award and was nominated by the Screen Actors Guild.
Easy and Mouse have a very complex relationship that is fueled by the fact that Mouse is the much darker and uninhibited alter ego to the calmer and more rational Easy. It’s this dramatic tension in their scenes together that really give the movie some juice. It’s a relatable dynamic we all can understand, who doesn’t have a friend, cousin, sibling etc like Mouse in their lives? Someone whose bad news and could easily get you into some deep trouble but you can’t let them go because of your history and misguided sense of loyalty. This is what Easy battles internally all the time and it is very powerful and believable stuff.
The passionate chemistry between Denzel and Jennifer also gives the film some steam and while palpable it never becomes a distraction. Although the movie is clearly helmed by Denzel, Don Cheadle and Ms. Beals, the entire cast is full of dynamic and incredible actors that breathe incredible life into their characters making them just as integral to the greatness of the film. Lisa Nicole Carson, Tom Sizemore, Maury Chaykin, Mel Winkler, Jernard Burks, David Wolos-Fonteno, Albert Hall etc. all give very nuanced and memorable performances that elevate the film.
I’ll just wrap this up with a wonderfully enthusiastic review of the film by African American Film Critics Association member Ronda Racha Penrice:
“ Devil in a Blue Dress is one of Denzel Washington’s best films. As Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, Washington is a migrant from Texas, a Black man in Los Angeles, just trying to make it in a 1940s world. A job lost and need for work to pay his mortgage leads to all kinds of mayhem that gets him trapped between the color line and possibly charged with multiple murders. Just like Washington’s acting, Carl Franklin’s adaptation and directing is top-notch in this film noir. From the look and feel to the wardrobe and music, Franklin doesn’t miss a beat. Performances by Don Cheadle as Mouse, a breakout role for him, and the often-forgotten Lisa Nicole Carson as Coretta are just spectacular. It’s a delicious film that’s always delightful to watch, regardless of how many times you may have seen it. And, if you’re watching it for the first time, oh boy, lay back and relax because this one is a treat for the eyes and the soul.”