Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Conner R

  
  A lot of this movie is unintentionally funny, mostly because it is so obvious in trying to mock the whole Film Noir genre. However, it really doesn't end up doing so visually, which makes no sense really. It has a very unnecessary voice-over from Denzel Washington that really… More
  A lot of this movie is unintentionally funny, mostly because it is so obvious in trying to mock the whole Film Noir genre. However, it really doesn't end up doing so visually, which makes no sense really. It has a very unnecessary voice-over from Denzel Washington that really takes you out of the story rather than educate you on the characters and plot. The movie doesn't end up being really bad and for the most part it's very enjoyable, what with the bizarre performances and character choices. It does manage to get the time period down, which is the greatest strength of the movie. Jennifer Beals also plays one good Femme Fatal, but not enough to save the movie. The ending is really what sends it off into the nonsense territory, making the entire story completely worthless.

• xGary X

  
  Honest working stiff Denzel Washington finds himself out of a job and desperate for money, so he accepts a job locating a young woman for a shady stranger. Devil In A Blue dress is an extremely stylish modern noir with a slightly different slant; the setting of a post war Los Angeles… More
  Honest working stiff Denzel Washington finds himself out of a job and desperate for money, so he accepts a job locating a young woman for a shady stranger. Devil In A Blue dress is an extremely stylish modern noir with a slightly different slant; the setting of a post war Los Angeles within the African American community gives this detective story a different flavour that marks it out from the norm. Denzel gives yet another solid performance of a tough but dignified, righteous man but the film is pretty much yanked out from under him by Don Cheadle in his breakthrough role. As Denzel's trigger happy sidekick he is both fearsome and hilarious and he effortlessly steals every scene he appears in. Although Tom Sizemore makes a good heavy, I felt we didn't see nearly enough of the corrupt politician who was behind all of these events but if you liked Chinatown or L.A. Confidential, this is well worth a look.

• Arash X

  
  This movie would have been so much better if it wasn't made at all & Denzel Washington is annoying like always

• Stephen M

  
  Though well acted and beautifully crafted, "Devil in a Blue Dress" falls short of being something special because, although the concept of an African American film noir is commendably original and the background climate - of racial prejudice and the post-WWII hangover in… More
  Though well acted and beautifully crafted, "Devil in a Blue Dress" falls short of being something special because, although the concept of an African American film noir is commendably original and the background climate - of racial prejudice and the post-WWII hangover in L.A. - is fascinating, the actual mystery is pretty run-of-the-mill. The title is a bit of a misnomer because, if anything, Jennifer Beals' femme fatale is not deadly enough, and the movie also lacks a proper bad guy, a larger-than-life, charismatic kingpin: a Sidney Greenstreet or a John Huston; Maury Chaykin's creepy political candidate would have fit the bill nicely but he's only onscreen for a couple of minutes. The unseen events bookending Easy Rawlins' (Denzel Washington) transition from disaffected war veteran to private investigator - namely his former criminal escapades with a trigger-happy associate in Texas (Don Cheadle) versus his further adventures as a fully-fledged gumshoe - unfortunately sound a lot more interesting than the story we are being told, making this feel like a sequel to, or a two-hour trailer for, an even better film.

• danny d

  
  The most underrated movie ever made. Brilliant. washington and cheadle delivered two of the better acting performances i have ever seen. a throwback to the great films done by warner in the 30's.

• Aaron N

  
  Easy Rawlins: A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not? Denzel Washington stars as Ezekial "Easy" Rawlins, a WWII veteran who now owns a house in 1948 LA but… More
  Easy Rawlins: A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not? Denzel Washington stars as Ezekial "Easy" Rawlins, a WWII veteran who now owns a house in 1948 LA but has no job. He needs money, and along comes a solution in the form of some PI work given to him by Tom Sizemore's character. By getting involved, he gets too involved, and is caught up in a back and forth plot involving rival mayoral candidates and various mysterious murders. The movie is based on a series of noir novels written in the 80s by Walter Mosely, this movie is a lot about combining the So Cal African American Jazz society with the style of neo noir. It looks great and has a good soundtrack, and that's really what matters. Washington is good in the role, but Don Cheadle comes in halfway through and steals the entire movie. His character Mouse is a friend from Easy's past, and he is also basically a psychopathic killer. What makes him work is the fact that he's played by Don Cheadle, and that's enough right there. This is also a very well paced film. As the movie approached the end, I really wasn't very ready for it, because I was enjoying the easy going nature of the movie. Good flick. Mouse: You said don't shoot him, right? Well I didn't; I choked him... If you didn't want me to kill him, why did you leave me alone with him?

• Stephen E

  
  It's not the most exciting or interesting movie out there, and I noticed a homage or two to Chinatown, but thanks to a reliable story, some good acting, and, above all, impeccable direction from Carl Franklin, Devil In A Blue Dress is an enjoyable watch. It's a worthy… More
  It's not the most exciting or interesting movie out there, and I noticed a homage or two to Chinatown, but thanks to a reliable story, some good acting, and, above all, impeccable direction from Carl Franklin, Devil In A Blue Dress is an enjoyable watch. It's a worthy addition to the neo-noir genre.

• Stephen E

  
  It's not the most exciting or interesting movie out there, and I noticed a homage or two to Chinatown, but thanks to a reliable story, some good acting, and, above all, impeccable direction from Carl Franklin, Devil In A Blue Dress is an enjoyable watch. It's a worthy… More
  It's not the most exciting or interesting movie out there, and I noticed a homage or two to Chinatown, but thanks to a reliable story, some good acting, and, above all, impeccable direction from Carl Franklin, Devil In A Blue Dress is an enjoyable watch. It's a worthy addition to the neo-noir genre.

• Miriam K

  
  If you like Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Oceans 11) you will like this movie. his first "big break" as the supporting roll to Denzel washington based on the book by Walter Mosely...good plot.

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