Predrag A voluptuously seedy tale of blackmail, murder and double-cross, "Devil in a Blue Dress" captures splendidly the mood of the forties, and is a worthy modern equivalent to old gems such as "Double Indemnity", "The Blue Dahlia" and "The Big Sleep".It's summer in Los Angeles, 1948. Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins (Denzel Washington) returned from World War II a few years ago to a land of opportunity. He got a job, a mortgage and a home of his own. But now he has lost his job and is determined not to lose his house. A friend introduces Easy to a sleazy character named DeWitt Albright (Tom Sizemore) who ostensibly is trying to locate the former girlfriend of mayoral candidate Tom Carter (Terry Kinney) so that the couple may be reunited. Desperate to keep making his mortgage payments, Easy accepts the job of finding the girlfriend, a woman named Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals). His search causes him to be suspect in several murders and arouses the interest of the rival candidate for mayor, Matthew Teran (Maury Chaykin). Easy finds that he is not the only person looking for Daphne Monet and that no one is exactly who he, or she, appears to be. There's strong acting by all the members of the cast. Washington brings his typical integrity and likability to Easy, and Don Cheadle almost steals the show. Mouse is quick to kill, basically a psycho, but a great friend to have. Also noteworthy is Tom Sizemore as a ruthless, cold-blooded bad guy and Jennifer Beals is alluring as the mysterious "Daphne Monet." Regardless, this is a fascinating movie that just oozes with the 1940's atmosphere. Great narration in there, a la film noir, great automobiles and great sets. It puts you right into the late 40's in Los Angeles, a little bit like the film Chinatown.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Spikeopath Devil in a Blue Dress is written and directed by Carl Franklin, who adapts from the book written by Walter Mosley. It stars Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle and Maury Chaykin. Music is by Elmer Bernstein and cinematography by Tak Fujimoto.Carl Franklin had already laid down a considerable neo-noir marker with his searing 1992 thriller One False Move, here he goes more traditional but garners equally impressive results. Plot has Washington as a WW2 veteran who has lost his job and desperately needs money to keep hold of his pride and joy - his house. Taking on a job offered by shifty DeWitt Albright (Sizemore), to find a missing woman, Rawlings quickly finds himself in up to his neck in murder and deception, he must turn ace detective to save his skin.Set in late 1940s Los Angeles, what instantly stands out is the period detail. The clothes, the cars and the establishments frequented by Easy and company. With voice over narration also provided by Washington, in dry and sardonic tones, it's every inch a loving ode to the film noir movies released at the time the pic is set. There's plenty of neon signs about the place, some bad ass cops, good sex, brandy and sharp suits, smoking and coolness and of course a psychopath in the classic mould (Cheadle excellent).But of course noir dressage is only that if you haven't got a good pot boiling plot, thankfully this has one. The story takes unexpected turns, always remaining interesting, the distinctive characterisations breathing heavy, managing to off set the run of the mill stereotypes in the supporting ranks. It can be argued that Beals as the titular femme fatale of the title is under written, but the character comes with an air of mystery that serves Franklin's atmosphere very well. Tech credits are high, something of a given with Bernstein and Fujimoto on the list, while Washington turns in another classy show of subtlety and believability.Lovers of film noir should get much rewards from Devil in a Blue Dress. 7.5/10

Thomas Lingeman Devil in a Blue Dress definitely had a large LA Noir feel to it; I got this vibe because of the general outfits of the characters and the set design. The cars all seemed to be the same. So did many of the outfits the characters were wearing. Finally, they seemed to both share the types of tools; guns, gadgets, etc. Of course this character was alike to that of Jack Gittes in Chinatown. The biggest comparison being they are both detectives who get caught up in a more serious crime dilemma than what was originally expected. Also, they are both on the search for the dame in distress, who turns out to be a very provocative and compelling character. The movies are also the same in the way they are through the narration of the main character. Also, they both tend to get beat up by some hired goons! Devil in a New Dress had a mixed drama to it. It used tomes of a typical thriller we would see in today's films. There was not as much down time as there was in Chinatown. So even though this movie set in the past and had a lot of characters who fit that part, it still had a new movie feel to it Yes, I do believe the story changes because the main character is black. For this movie they tried to show a lot of the darker elements behind racism towards blacks for that time period. It did not take away from the story, but at times it did feel forced. It felt like it was an adversity that he never truly climbed away from. This is the opposite for the movie Chinatown. It mainly focused on the racism towards Asians at that time period, but was less subtly. Such as; the differences in the way they pronounce words. The films would be greatly different if they were set in the present day. I would not get that special feel if it was not taken place in the 40's. Plus I cannot picture a detective, in this day in age, doing the things Jack Gittes and Easy Rawlins. Especially going after a dame in distress.

Robert J. Maxwell The acting is up to professional standards. Denzel Washington is in the lead as a jobless ex-GI in 1947 Los Angeles who is hired by a stranger to find a white girl named Daphne. He does a good job, as usual, without being in the least extravagant. The supporting players are all equally good, with Don Cheadle in the flashiest role as a friendly killer.Jennifer Beals as the mysterious and missing devil in the blue dress is competent and attractive. You have never seen such huge, glistening black eyes. Why hasn't she gotten better parts? Location shooting is done carefully too. Lots of nice shots of seedier locations as well as a couple of the kind of faux country estates we saw so often on "Columbo." Washington, of course, is African-American, and Beals is passable as a Creole from Louisiana. Relationships between the police and the black community are sketched out in what's probably realistic detail. The heavy handedness of the cops should come as no surprise to anyone who's seen "L.A. Confidential," although it may shock some who grew up on "Dragnet." The racial divide isn't imposed willy nilly on the script, either. This is an unashamed noir. There's no attempt to make racism the central issue. It may be difficult for some of us to accept the notion that a politician's marriage to a woman who is partly of black parentage would stultify his career but it was true enough.Still, the movie fails to engage. The narrative is murky, the action turgid, and there is a narration by Washington that serves as a familiar crutch for a weak story. It does nothing more than fill us in on the details of Washington's peregrinations, without adding anything more. It's Raymond Chandler without the fustian poetry or the scintillating cynicism. Washington's voice over never tells us that some babe had "hair the color of gold in old paintings." It only tells us things like, "I figured I'd better get out of there." I didn't really care much about anyone but Washington's out-of-work nice guy. I wanted him to make enough money to pay off his mortgage. That was about it. Well -- of course I didn't want to see Jennifer Beals tortured with that red hot poker either, although I wouldn't have minded if her captors had torn her clothes a little. Or, I guess the script could even have let her take a long, languorous bath.Chandler and Hammett never had especially gripping characters either but Chandler carried us along with his blunt, boozy charm, and Hammett bootlegged in a philosophy of life.Speaking of "carried," Washington has a line he speaks to Beals. "Change out of that house coat. Come on, I'll carry you home." Washington doesn't mean he's going to sweep her up in his arms and schlep her across town. He means he's going to escort her home in his vehicle. This is an old-fashioned, mostly Southern usage. It dates back to before the Civil War, as in "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny." I didn't mean to carry on so, but that sentence was one of the few things in the movie that roused my attention.