Denzel Takes ‘Devil’ Beyond Ordinary Mystery
“Devil in a Blue Dress” tells the story of a man faced with the age-old problem of racism and the society that makes him face it. All that while spinning an enjoyable tale of murder, money and (no, I’m not kidding) a mayoral campaign.
This type of movie - a simple, predictable mystery that could have been performed on Broadway just as effectively - is made or broken by the actors involved. Luckily for “Devil,” Denzel Washington makes this one. He plays Easy, a smart, ambitious African American during a time when African Americans weren’t supposed to be either of those things. Washington pulls off the role with the extraordinary talent he has used to make many of his past films the hits they have been.
“Devil” opens with Easy in a bar, depressed over losing his job. Soon after, we see a white man walk in and offer him a job. His work: “doing favors for friends.”
Not the kind of thing any mother wants their son growing up to do, and not what Easy would like to do. Work is work, however, and he is two months behind on his mortgage.
His first assignment is to find a lady who has left her boyfriend, a man who happens to have recently withdrawn from the mayoral race. Easy quickly learns the location of the estranged mistress and even meets her. But nothing is as simple as it seems, and Easy is quickly associated with two murders.
The plot of “Devil” is intelligent, complex and fast-moving. Easy learns “if you’re going to get mixed up in something, get mixed up at the top.” This becomes important when, after he tries to get out of this messy ordeal, the gangsters who got him involved threaten his life.
Like I said, Washington is fabulous. Another standout is Don Cheadle as Mouse, a gangster from Texas who is Easy’s friend. Mouse enters the movie halfway through, but steals every scene he is in. His trigger-happy nature is defined by his comment, “If you didn’t want him dead, why’d you leave him with me?”
The head gangster, Dewitt Albright (Tom Sizemore), also captures the nature of the time period beautifully.
Even the smaller parts of this movie are well done. The scenery is mind-boggling, as “Devil” truly makes you believe you are in 1940s Los Angeles. The soundtrack is also great; any true jazz music fan would water at the mouth to live in that time period.
There is only one weakness in this film: It is blatantly predictable. Every scene manages to forecast the following three, and the old-fashioned inner voice of the main character foreshadows even more. The characters themselves could be from any 1940s gangster movie, and I kept thinking, “Where have I seen this before?”
Luckily, “Devil in a Blue Dress” is executed with one thing in mind: the enjoyment of its audience. It won’t win any awards for its screenplay, or deep, meaningful subplots. I think anyone going to this movie with an open mind will find something to love and will leave happy. Anyway, with the best of Denzel Washington and “Murder, She Wrote,” what more could you expect?
Grade: B+