Le diable en robe bleue

Carl Franklin's adaptation of Walter Mosley's classic detective novel is a dark and funny tale of a detective with bad luck. Denzel Washington handles the material well. However, the star in the film is Don Cheadle as Mouse. This cold blooded killer steals several scenes away from Washington. The film also creates an accurate depiction of the racial climate in the late 40's. Issues of race and identity are displayed in the entire film. And Franklin does an incredible job of controlling the characters and narrative.

An incredible film.

I am glad I caught this film on TV; it was great entertainment and executed well.

I don't want to ramble on too much, so here goes. The acting is great - Washington giving another good performance. His narration was suitably dry too. Cheadle just chewed on the scenery. He was hardly in the film, but when he was, his impact as Mouse was powerful. Elsewhere, Beals was good as the titular devil in the blue dress. Sizemore was good as the sleaze ball who hires Washington - yet he seems to good at playing these types in all his films.

The aesthetic of the film was enticing. The smooth camera-work was mesmerising. The first shot that tracks through the busy streets and then cranes up through the window to Easy is so Hitchcock - or any director of film noir for that matter. The colours are beautiful too, from the orange skies in the day, to the hazy blues at night.

The story is gripping, if a tad predictable. If you like your Sam Spade and your Marlowes this film will be fine for you. The ending where Washington closes in on a house in the hills is very 'Big Sleep'.

Devil In A Blue Dress is unique in terms of perspective. The story is told from a black males view point and this makes the film very interesting to watch. No more all-white worlds of the 40's generation. This film shows both sides of the coin, and doesn't end up with a chip on both shoulders.

The film may be a tad predictable, but this should not deter you. This film is underrated and deserves your attention. Very entertaining.

Denzel Washington plays Easy Rawlins, a down-on-his-luck sometime machinist, sometime detective in late-1940's L.A. Seems someone wants him to find a mysterious white lady in a blue dress (Jennifer Beals)who's thought to have been seen in a blacks-only club. Enter Easy, who with his connections can get into the club and find the girl. But, of course, there's more to this plot than just that, or else it'd be a mighty short film.

The atmosphere is a major asset here; director Carl Franklin has done a magnificent job not only of recreating the Los Angeles of the late forties but also of showing the story from the black perspective, a rarity in film. All the sights and sounds are there, and if you concentrate real hard you can even detect the smells, too. Washington's aces, of course, as usual; makes you wonder if he'll do any more adaptations of Walter Mosley books starring Easy Rawlins. He's aided by a very good supporting cast, including Beals and Tom Sizemore (playing a heavy, surprise surprise!). Fans of Washington should watch this, but really anyone who likes film noir will approve.

To call this one of the most underrated films of the last ten years, is an understatement. This film is up there with ‘Chinatown' and ‘L.A Confidential. .

Denzel Washington is cool, and smart. Don Cheadle is stand out as the cold killer with a smile, mouse.

But the real praise must go to Carl Franklin, who proves that ‘One false move' was not just a fluke

As much as I liked the film 'L.A. Confidential' my problem with it was that a lot of black characters where being brutalised, without any chance to fight back. In this film they fight back. We have a black hero, someone who is as smart anyone else and in some cases smarter.

I hope that one day someone will film the rest of the Easy' Rawlins books.

Because Walter Mosley's stories are great and I was surprised that none of the other Easy Rawlins books have been filmed. A rich lode of ore , waiting to be mined.

AND, Don Cheadle. His acting as "Mouse" is stunning. In the 3 or 4 Easy Rawlins books that I've read, the character constructions of Easy, Mouse, and their relationship, is fascinating. I read Devil in a Blue Dress before I saw the movie and when I saw Mouse brought to life, I could barely wait for the credits to roll--"Who WAS that guy?"

Washington brings Easy to life too, and the recreation of Watts and L.A. in the late 40's/ early 50's is excellent (I was there).

The movie wasn't great, but way above ordinary, and I'd love to see a reprise with Washington and Cheadle.