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Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
29 September 1995 (USA)
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Tagline:
Private detective Easy Rawlins has been caught on the wrong side of the most dangerous secret in town. more
Plot:
An Afro-American private detective is hired to find a woman and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
3 wins
&
7 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Spielberg Invades Burlington, Ontario
(From HollywoodNorthReport.com. 25 August 2009, 4:33 PM, PDT)
Jennifer Beals Joins Denzel Sci-fi
(From EmpireOnline. 27 January 2009, 1:07 AM, PST)
(From HollywoodNorthReport.com. 25 August 2009, 4:33 PM, PDT)
Jennifer Beals Joins Denzel Sci-fi
(From EmpireOnline. 27 January 2009, 1:07 AM, PST)
User Comments:
A Different Shade Of Film Noir
more (38 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Denzel Washington | ... | Ezekiel 'Easy' Rawlins | |
| Tom Sizemore | ... | DeWitt Albright | |
| Jennifer Beals | ... | Daphne Monet | |
| Don Cheadle | ... | Mouse Alexander | |
| Maury Chaykin | ... | Matthew Terell | |
| Terry Kinney | ... | Todd Carter | |
| Mel Winkler | ... | Joppy | |
| Albert Hall | ... | Degan Odell | |
| Lisa Nicole Carson | ... | Coretta James | |
| Jernard Burks | ... | Dupree Brouchard | |
| David Wolos-Fonteno | ... | Junior Fornay | |
| John Roselius | ... | Detective Mason | |
| Beau Starr | ... | Detective Jack Miller | |
| Steven Randazzo | ... | Benny Giacomo | |
| Scott Lincoln | ... | Richard McGee |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for violence, sexuality and language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #33509) |
Iceland:14 |
Iceland:16 (video rating) |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M |
Canada:14A |
Denmark:16 |
Finland:K-16 |
Germany:16 |
Peru:14 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Spain:18 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:15
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Based on the book of the same name by Walter Mosley. Mosley wrote several Easy Rawlins books. All but two - "Gone Fishin'" and "Six Easy Pieces" - include a color in the title of the book.
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Goofs:
Anachronisms: Several of the cars used in the background are post-1948 models including one with fins.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Featured in Century of Black Cinema (2003) (V)
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Soundtrack:
BLUES AFTER HOURS
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (38 total)
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This is the kind of film that can stay with you for awhile after you watch it: a haunting kind of film that isn't always pleasant or easy to understand but you remember it. It also helps to have a fondness for the 1940 film noir movies.
It doesn't help that it appears racist in nature with people of one color all being the bad guys while people with another color all the good guys. I won't say which is which, but if the colors were reversed, there would have been an outcry about the obvious bias here by screenwriter-director Carl Franklin. Despite this, it's still a fascinating movie that just oozes with the 1940s atmosphere. Great narration in there, a la film noir, great automobiles and great sets. It puts you right into the late 40s in Los Angeles, a little bit like the film Chinatown.
Denzel Washington does a nice job with the narration and the lead role, the character of "Easy Rawlins," off the book by Walter Moseley (which I read and recommend). Tom Sizemore and Don Cheadle play very intense characters in supporting roles, particularly Cheadle as the trigger-happy "Mouse." Jennifer Beals is alluring as the mysterious "Daphne Monet."
The film is a bit confusing in parts and was especially so for me since the book was not exactly the same and had a totally different ending. Nonetheless, the film has always fascinated me and drawn me back for multiple viewings. It's good storytelling and it would be fun to see more of Moseley's books translated to the big screen.