Devil in a Blue Dress

Starring:Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle, Maury Chaykin, Terry Kinney, Mel Winkler, Albert Hall, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jernard Burks, David Wolos-Fonteno, John Roselius, Beau Starr, Steven Randazzo, Scott Lincoln, L. Scott Caldwell, Barry Shabaka Henley, Nick Corello, Kenny Endoso, Joseph Latimore
Director: Carl Franklin
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Despite rave reviews as one of the most stylish and intelligent detective pictures in a number of years, this 1995 adaptation of Walter Mosley's novel never found a mass audience. Too bad, because Carl Franklin's film is nearly perfect in every way, from its rich, shadowy look to its depiction of life in post-World War II black America (L.A.-style) to the acting of Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, and others. Washington plays Easy Rawlins, an aircraft factory worker who is laid off only to find his true calling: as a private eye, albeit an unlicensed one. Hired to find a missing woman, he becomes entangled in a complex but satisfying case involving sex, corruption, racism, and of course money. Top-notch from top to bottom--and Cheadle is dangerously funny as Easy's best friend, a killer named Mouse. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Denzel and Scene Stealing Cheadle Make This A Winning Adaptation.......2007-04-04

Devil in a Blue Dress is a wonderful adaptation of Walter Mosely's fantastic late 40's detective series featuring black private eye "Easy" Rawlins.

Rawlins is a World War II veteran trying to get reestablished in LA following the war. He finds himself helping out someone hired to look for a white woman who is married to a prominent politician. Soon, he is caught up in the double dealings, mystery, and intrigue that only a 40's private eye can be involved in, and "Easy" begins to have it very, very hard.

He enlists the help of his Texas cousin "Mouse," played by Don Cheadle in what is one of the best scene-stealing performances in the past twenty years. "Mouse" hasn't met anyone besides "Easy" that he dosen't want to kill, and he works hard at being an efficent killer. The byplay with Washington's Easy is hysterical, and provides excellent comic relief.

This move is enjoyable on just about nearly every level. If you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself to watch Devil in A Blue Dress very, very soon.

Devil in a Blue Dress - Great African American Film Noir.......2007-01-09

This film directed by Carl Franklin from his own screenplay, based on the novel by Walter Mosley is great. It is a wonderful example of film noir comng from the late 1940's section of Los Angeles that is not seen in films, and from an African American perspective. I highly recommend owning this DVD with commentary from Franklin.

Very good performances hung on not much substance........2006-10-17

Devil in a Blue Dress (Carl Franklin, 1995)

I'm still attempting to figure out what to say about this movie after two weeks. Usually, this is a sign that it simply didn't leave enough of an impression on me to say much of anything, but at least I liked it.

Easy Rawlins (Denzel Washington), an out-of-work electrician, is hired by an acquaintance of a friend to go looking for Daphne Monet (Flashdance's Jennifer Beals), the missing fiancee of a political candidate in an upcoming election. There's more to it than that, of course, but this is a movie where things tend to get complicated and spoiler-laden very quickly.

The movie is chock full of good performances, notably Washington and Don Cheadle as his friend and partner Mouse. The problem is that these performances exist in a vacuum; the movie never really comes together, with wooden dialogue and a paint-by-numbers plot that sacrifices a good deal of the subtlety of the novel. It's a decent genre mystery flick, but it's not what it could have been. ** ½

this movie rocks, man!.......2006-09-27

very good script adapted from a great writer's novel. great casting and amazing performances by all the actors. the directing, editing and the shooting are also too good to not mention it here. this is a perfect noir genre movie, very dark and moody but also got pretty funny sometimes. i enjoy it very much.

Tooo good for words.......2006-06-30

I usually could talk for hours about how good I think Denzel Washington is, and I could talk even longer about a great movie but this is different it was too good. Maybe it was the surprise of it that made it have more impact, as I had only ever heard whispers about it before until I saw it on the shelves of my local DVD rental store. Positively one of the best private eye films ever. All technical aspects of the film were surperb, soundtrack excellently placed, Denzels performance was magical and supporitng cast brillianlty chosen.
An absolute GEM! Full of class and nastalgia, as close to classic as you can get in this torrid time of remakes and half baked modern movies.
A+++++

Average customer rating:

Easy Does It

Devil in a Blue Dress [Region 2]
Starring: Denzel Washington , Tom Sizemore , Jennifer Beals , Don Cheadle , and Maury Chaykin
Director: Carl Franklin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004TYWZ

Customer Reviews:

Easy Does It.......2006-11-10

It is the end of WWII. Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins(Denzel Washington) returns from the war to find segregation and discrimination. A decent job is hard to come by. He has used the little bit of money he had to buy a house and car, but he must find a way to keep up the payments. A job does come his way, it sounds shady, but it's seems to be easy cash, so he takes it. The job...To find a missing woman named Daphne Monet(Jennifer Beals)...seems easy enough.

Finding this mysterious woman, Easy, gets into trouble at every turn. Dead bodies start turning up all around him. The cops harass him,he uncovers political foul play, and a dark secret about the woman. Working with him is his old friend "Mouse" (Don Cheadle), who's answer to everything is shoot first and ask questions later. The "reward" for finding this woman and what she knows is growing as the answers start leading up the ladder of society. Is Easy's interest now for the money or the girl?

If you like the old style of film noir in movies like "Laura" or the newer modern film noir like "L.A. Confidential" you'll love "Devil in a Blue Dress". It's gripping, edge of your seat stuff.Director Carl Franklin and director of photography Tak Fujimoto give us a great look at this steamy side of Los Angeles in the 1940's.The musical score by Elmer Bernstein is wonderfully atmospheric, and the old rhythm and blues or"Shout and Jump" music by such greats
as T-Bone Walker and Duke Ellington are a great addition to 1940's feel. The cast also features Tom Sizemore and Maury Chaykin.

This edition (ASIN: B00004TYWZ)is for Region 2 format DVD users(mostly Europe, Australia and China, and is also available in a PAL VHS edition for those areas. For N.America/Japan use NTSC for VHS and Region 1 on the DVDs

All that is needed now is another EASY RAWLINS story..how bout it Denzel?.

Enjoy.....Laurie

Average customer rating:

ABC News UpClose with Walter Mosley

Manufacturer: ABC News
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime & Conspiracy | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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amazon.com

What JFK did for Ian Fleming when he revealed that he was a big fan of James Bond and the 007 novels, Bill Clinton did for Walter Mosley. Until President Clinton let the world know that he is a voracious reader of Mosley's novels, the author's fan base was largely limited to an African-American readership. After all, Mosley's black and so are the heroes and heroines of his crime novels. But there is nothing that draws a crowd like a crackling good yarn.

Average customer rating:

Devil in a Blue Dress [Region 2]
Starring: Denzel Washington , Tom Sizemore , Jennifer Beals , Don Cheadle , and Maury Chaykin
Director: Carl Franklin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004VXY6

Charlie Rose with Joe Klein; Anna Quindlen; Carl Franklin (September 18, 1995)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Joe Klein; Anna Quindlen; Carl Franklin (September 18, 1995)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

Newsweek's Joe Klein talks about his new cover story which deals with the so-called radical middle in American politics, dissatisfaction with the Clinton administration, and how Democrats and Republicans are trying to capture the swing voter. Then, Anna Quindlen talks about writing novels including her latest, One True Thing. She also shares thoughs on Shannon Faulkner leaving The Citadel, the Clinton administration, and the competitive world of journalism. Finally, Carl Franklin discusses becoming a director, working with Denzel Washington, and his new film Devil in a Blue Dress.

Average customer rating:

Devil in a Blue Dress [Region 2]
Starring: Denzel Washington , Tom Sizemore , Jennifer Beals , Don Cheadle , and Maury Chaykin
Director: Carl Franklin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004SC8L

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