On D List of Movie Reviews
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Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
12/02, 5/25, 6/25
5/25:
I don't think there exists a film noir with a strong black presence, and there have been some
neo-noirs to remedy the void but nothing that's on the same level as
Chinatown until 1995 when Devil in a Blue Dress came out.
It's a terrific picture with Denzel Washington at his best. All of the hallmarks have been hit: the voice-over
narration, the wrong man at the wrong place accused of murder, the case of a missing woman, the sultry
cinematography of Los Angeles, and the lineup of tough guys and corrupt politicians and cops. An added bonus
is racism that's not a common feature in most films of the genre.
What's nice is that the story is easy to follow. Many neo-noirs commit the mistake of being so convoluted
to the point of being a liability, and I don't appreciate it. At the same time, I like the writing by director
Carl Franklin that was adapted from Walter Mosley's novel; it's smooth and well-done. The explanation of why and
what happened is unexpected, causing me to think of
Imitation of Life.
Although this is Denzel Washington's show and I love his character's name (Easy Rawlins),
Don Cheadle steals the movie in just a handful of scenes. The former's reaction to the latter's stupid action
is quite comical by letting the moment linger while not knowing what to say. By the way, the back of
the DVD cover, along with the movie poster, mentions Easy being a private investigator; that's not true. A
recently laid-off machinist, he had no experience in these matters, but at the end, I was left feeling there
should've been a sequel with him making the formal transition.
All in all, Devil in a Blue Dress is a unique film in the neo-noir genre.
6/25:
I wanted to check out Devil in a Blue Dress again in Blu-Ray for the first time, and it looks stunning.