Devil in a Blue Dress

Denzel Washington stars in this adaptation of the novel by African-American crime author Walter Mosley, the first of his stories to reach the screen. Ezekiel Rawlins (Washington), known to his friends as "Easy," has just lost his job at an aircraft plant in post-WW II Los Angeles, a time when ...more

The so-called "Black Pack" films of the late '80s and early '90s intersect with this attempt to revive film noir, set in 1940s Los Angeles. It has all the staples of the noirs of decades past: a dogged private eye Denzel Washington, shady, omnivorously sexual women, duplicitous clients, brutal cops, and a Deep, Dark Secret at the heart of it all. What makes Devil different is its pungent depiction of racism, which victimizes Washington's character repeatedly. Previous private eyes such as Sam ...more