Devil in a Blue Dress

Really cool 90’s film noir set in the 40’s about out of work machinist Easy (Denzel Washington (Virtuosity)) who needs some money so he takes a job hunting down a woman (Jennifer Beals (Flashdance)).  All he knows is that she’s the girlfriend of a guy who’s running for mayor of LA.  Naturally he bumps into dead bodies, conspiracy and a plethora of shady characters.

You got all your classic shit in this joint like a ton of booze guzzling and smoke puffing, Easy’s narration telling you his thoughts, backroom nightclubs, sneak up from behind brawls, location hopping, etc.  The plot is appropriately confusing too.  I mean it’s not The Big Sleep or anything but I had to think about it for a minute to understand who was connected to who and the motivations behind everyone’s actions.

What sets this picture apart though is that it stars a black man as the lead going around doing the investigating.  I don’t know enough about the genre to say this with any sort of authority but that’s gotta be rare (Eddie Murphy did Harlem Nights six years earlier but that was more of a comedy).  And of course Denzel is fucking awesome so he’s perfect in the role which requires him to be both intelligent and a tough motherfucker.  He needs to piece together the clues and make smart calculating moves while fighting off assholes who stick guns in his face.

Another unique aspect brought to this film noir are the themes of racism, oppression and police brutality.  They’re a huge part of the story and characters.  Easy gets beaten by the cops, intimidated by a white gangster (Tom Sizemore (The Relic)) and he owns his own house in the LA suburbs which is a major point of pride and something others seem to look at with suspicion.  It’s all handled very well.

This was based on a book by Walter Mosley and it was the first in a whole series starring Easy who eventually turns private investigator full time after realizing he’s a lot better at that than machining.  Over the years there have been plans to bring other Easy cases to film and television but nothing has materialized so far.  That’s a damn shame because this is a great character who I would love to see more of.

The more I think about this one the more I like it.  Hard boiled detective work mixed with highlighting social injustices, what a combo.  Give it a shot.