O Diabo Veste Azul

Devil in a Blue Dress is written and directed by Carl Franklin, who adapts from the book written by Walter Mosley. It stars Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle and Maury Chaykin. Music is by Elmer Bernstein and cinematography by Tak Fujimoto.

Carl Franklin had already laid down a considerable neo-noir marker with his searing 1992 thriller One False Move, here he goes more traditional but garners equally impressive results. Plot has Washington as a WW2 veteran who has lost his job and desperately needs money to keep hold of his pride and joy - his house. Taking on a job offered by shifty DeWitt Albright (Sizemore), to find a missing woman, Rawlings quickly finds himself in up to his neck in murder and deception, he must turn ace detective to save his skin.

Set in late 1940s Los Angeles, what instantly stands out is the period detail. The clothes, the cars and the establishments frequented by Easy and company. With voice over narration also provided by Washington, in dry and sardonic tones, it's every inch a loving ode to the film noir movies released at the time the pic is set. There's plenty of neon signs about the place, some bad ass cops, good sex, brandy and sharp suits, smoking and coolness and of course a psychopath in the classic mould (Cheadle excellent).

But of course noir dressage is only that if you haven't got a good pot boiling plot, thankfully this has one. The story takes unexpected turns, always remaining interesting, the distinctive characterisations breathing heavy, managing to off set the run of the mill stereotypes in the supporting ranks. It can be argued that Beals as the titular femme fatale of the title is under written, but the character comes with an air of mystery that serves Franklin's atmosphere very well. Tech credits are high, something of a given with Bernstein and Fujimoto on the list, while Washington turns in another classy show of subtlety and believability.

Lovers of film noir should get much rewards from Devil in a Blue Dress. 7.5/10

This has a convoluted story like out of Chandler. There's the dreamy woman who has disappeared, the unlikely schmo hired to find her. She is white, a rich man's wife thought to have disappeared in the black side of town. They get him to investigate, a black guy who just wants to make mortgage so he can simply keep owning his house.

A lot of snooping around in clubs and seamy places around LA follows. People turning up dead in the night and he stands to get the rap. Hidden machinations that involve people in high places, a set of incriminating photos with a mayoral election in the balance. And all this as the noir world that turns against the protagonist - he's beaten, framed for murder, used as pawn - but, being a black man, it now acquires another layer of significance that conveys a more real plight than Marlowe.

And we have a curious eye of the camera, a world rife with texture and depth. This isn't the glossy recreation of an era that we find in LA Confidential, but more like Altman where we brush against spaces and the world surrounds from all sides. In this aspect it's worthy of The Long Goodbye. It has all these marvelous places, the blues club above the convenience store, the cabin up in the hills where a dead body turns up, his sunny neighborhood that is routinely invaded.

It's as good as if adapted from Chandler, plus about black experience in a world where boundaries are drawn starkly against you, plus a world rife for exploration as these boundaries are tranversed. It's good stuff, this one. They tried to set it up for future films where Denzel returns as the PI but I see that it didn't pan out. First time's the charm anyway.

Noir Meter: 3/4 / Neo-noir or post noir? Neo

To call this one of the most underrated films of the last ten years, is an understatement. This film is up there with ‘Chinatown' and ‘L.A Confidential. .

Denzel Washington is cool, and smart. Don Cheadle is stand out as the cold killer with a smile, mouse.

But the real praise must go to Carl Franklin, who proves that ‘One false move' was not just a fluke

As much as I liked the film 'L.A. Confidential' my problem with it was that a lot of black characters where being brutalised, without any chance to fight back. In this film they fight back. We have a black hero, someone who is as smart anyone else and in some cases smarter.

I hope that one day someone will film the rest of the Easy' Rawlins books.

Devil In A Blue Dress takes the classic Raymond Chandler mystery form and uproots it just a smidge, setting it in the African American community of 1948 Los Angeles, with terrific results. Noir takes on a double meaning (naughty pun) as WWII vet turned private eye Ezekial "Easy" Rawlins (Denzel Washington) finds himself mired in the quick sands of corruption, coersion and murder most foul after taking on a job that's led him straight to the dirtiest little secret in town. After he accepts a missing persons inquiry from mysterious DeWitt Allbright (Tom Sizemore, first shady and then downright scary when we see what he's really about), he finds himself searching for a girl named Daphne (Jennifer Beals) a runaway with ties to a very powerful politician (Maury Chaykin makes your skin creep and crawl) with some seriously disturbing extra curricular activities. Rawlins recognizes danger when he sees it and tries to back out, but by then he knows too much and it's way late in the game. Now he must navigate the scene like the pro he to escape not only with answers, but perhaps his life. Washington gives him the underdog treatment, a worn out gumshoe who still has some grit left, enough for one last ride in any case. There's an L.A. Confidential type feel to the plot in the sense that it ducks some conventions in order to service true surprise from its audience. Sizemore is a charming viper as the kind of dude you never want to trust (isn't he just the best at playing that?) and Beals subverts the damsel in distress archetype by injecting her performance with a jolt of poison. In terms of L.A. noir this baby is fairly overlooked, but holds its own to this day. Watch for Don Cheadle as well.

When Ezekiel `Easy' Rawlins loses his job he begins to worry how he'll make ends meet when DeWitt Albright offers him cash to help find Daphne Monet, the fiancée of politician Todd Carter. He takes the job as she is known to like Afro-Americans and will be easier for him to find. He gets information from a friend but is then framed for her murder. Stuck between the police and Albright's men, Easy has to uncover why Monet is so important to so many people and save himself from jail.

Franklin's greatest achievement here is the way he brings the period to life, albeit with a certain amount of nostalgic love for the idea. The film has a great jazz soundtrack and a real sense of place and atmosphere to it. This supports the plot well and makes the film feel stronger and richer for it. The plot is a solid mystery that sees Easy pulled into a wider plot with the inevitable twists and turns. It is layered well without being too complex or difficult to follow, but neither does it allow itself to become too simplistic or easy. The film doesn't really play on racism or the race of Easy but it does make race an equal influence (with money, power and influence) on the plot and the characters.

Washington plays Easy well, reacting well to things and being a good character. I don't know if it was ever planned that Easy would be a character than would allow for further adaptations, but I know I would like to have seen Washington take Easy further into his PI role. Sizemore is good in support, as are Kinney, Carson, Beals and Chaykin. The strongest support is given by Cheadle. His character may be extreme but he brings an energy to the film that it benefits from (although it didn't need it). The cast all ad to the rich feel of the plot and direction.

Overall this is a solidly enjoyable detective story with all the twists and turns that you could expect from that genre. However it also benefits from a great sense of place and time that is all though the film – not merely painted on with sets or soundtrack. A class act from Washington and others just adds to the feeling of quality.