Mr-Fusion
"Devil in a Blue Dress" is one of those period pieces that so proficiently captures its particular time and place (1940s Los Angeles, the greatest setting in cinema). The art department nailed it, with the signage especially. But it's a well made movie all around, with a well-chosen cast (Denzel Washington, who injects Easy Rawlins with a naive charm; the staggeringly sexy Jennifer Beals; Tom Sizemore, a snake-in-the-grass all the way; and some great supporting character faces. But it's Don Cheadle that steals the show as the wildly unpredictable Mouse (and I love his contentious relationship with Washington).There's great dialogue all over this thing, and its mashing of politics, corruption, murder, sin and racial division makes for engrossing storytelling. Easy has his own arc as he ultimately learns something about how business is actually done in the real world, no longer just a struggling working man. It's downbeat, but also hopeful and sultry in its own way. Terrific neo-noir.8/10
Threeline filmreviews
Old timers say that casting is 97% of a motion picture. That's on display here - for good and bad. When the "Chimatown" moment occurs and the audience doesn't care is that the audience's fault... or the producers?devil in a blue dress. blue dress in a devil. Satan in a red dress and Lucifer in yellow. purple, orange, green and purple. kind of makes on want to blink. central avenue. avenue central. don Beadle. densely washing ton. devil in a blue dress. blue dress in a devil. Satan in a red dress and Lucifer in yellow. purple, orange, green and pink. kinda makes on want to blink. central avenue. avenue central. don Beadle. densely washing ton. devil in a blue dress. blue dress in a devil. Satan in a red dress and Lucifer in yellow. purple, orange, green and pink. kinda makes on want to blink. central avenue. avenue central. don Beadle. densely washing ton.
tieman64
"You step out of your door in the morning and you're already in trouble. The only question is: are you on top of that trouble or not?" - Easy Rawlins "Devil In A Blue Dress" wants to be the African American "Chinatown", and director Carl Franklin comes close. All the noir ingredients are here - a gumshoe with a cool name (Easy Rawlins, played by Denzel Washington), moody cinematography, an LA location, a missing woman, femme fatales, a last act revelation, the genre's usual assortment of crooks, conflicts, seedy joints and crooked cops etc – but Franklin isn't strong enough a stylist to make his noir landscape come alive, isn't skilled enough a director to maintain the tension and isn't deep enough an artist to handle anything more than themes of racism and prejudice, though his film does address the white-centric view of 1940s LA which most noirs erroneously put forth.7.9/10 – This film would play better with stronger dialogue. As it is, it has no contemporary relevance or connection and exists only to satisfy a certain "noir nostalgia". Still, like De Niro's "True Confessions", this is a worthy second tier neo-noir. Makes a good companion piece to "Mulholland Falls", "Hollywoodland", "LA Confidential" and "Lonelyhearts", four other "not quiet successful" modern neo noirs set in the 1940s.Worth one viewing.
merklekranz
The acting is good, especially by Don Cheadle and Tom Sizemore. Denzel Washington and Jennifer Beals characters seem pale by comparison. The voice overs confirm that the story is way more complex than necessary, and eventually the script backs itself into a corner. The 1940s atmosphere is wonderful, but that cannot overcome the weakness of the confusing plot. The film lacks warmth, with no really likable characters, including Denzel Washington. In the end his character seems more like an antihero. My conclusion is that "Devil in a Blue Dress", while atmospheric, misses the mark as entertainment because of all the confusion, and too many annoying plot holes. - MERK
AD
