Devil in a Blue Dress

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

  • 87% of critics liked it
    (52 reviews)

  • 64% of users liked it
    (9,804 ratings)

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… More

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R,
Directed By
Written By
Walter Mosley, Carl Franklin
Genres
Mystery & Suspense, Drama
In Theaters
Sep 29, 1995 Wide
TriStar

Critic Reviews

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    Entering the main flow of the story relatively late, Don Cheadle steals all his scenes as a live-wire, trigger-happy old buddy of Easy's from Texas, while Sizemore and Mel Winkler, as colorful underworld figures, make strong impressions.

  • Geoff Andrew, Time Out

    Sheer pleasure.

  • Janet Maslin, New York Times

    The role of Easy looks as tailor-made for Mr. Washington as his suit, and it shows off the full effect of this actor's movie-star dazzle.

  • Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

    A fluid, persuasive piece of movie-making graced with the considerable visual sophistication.

  • Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

    The film also does a convincing job of re-creating Los Angeles of 1948 with both specificity and poetry.

Read all 14 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings

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