Review of Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) by Christopher S — 05 Feb 2011

Denzel Washington gives a loose and natural performance as "Easy" Rawlins, an out-of-work WWII vet who takes a job looking for the missing fiancà (C)e of a politician. The job, as one might assume, turns out to be more complicated than it appears (and appearances play a large roll in this film).

Director Carl Franklin adapts Walter Mosely's novel, and creates one of the most interesting and over-looked noir films of the 1990s. Franklin is able to tackle issues of race in post-WWII America (and 1990s America), all wrapped around an intriguing mystery. With the help of cinematographer Tak Fujimoto, Franklin gives the film the look and feel of a classic noir, but does not try to postmodernly re-create it (as De Palma's The Black Dahlia does). This is a fascinating film that both plays into and subverts expectations of the noir genre (or mode, whichever you prefer).