Devil in a Blue Dress | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

92% Tomatometer 122 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings

In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins (Denzel Washington) is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright (Tom Sizemore), a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals), who he suspects is hiding out in one of the city's black jazz clubs. Strapped for money and facing house payments, Easy takes the job, but soon finds himself in over his head. Read More Read Less

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Devil in a Blue Dress

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Devil in a Blue Dress

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Critics Consensus

Humor, interesting characters, and attention to details make the stylish Devil in a Blue Dress an above average noir.

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Critics Reviews

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Devil in a Blue Dress | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Desson Thomson Washington Post In Devil, folks like Easy Rawlins have long since learned to roll with the racial punches. It's precisely that kind of offhand profundity that makes the movie so memorable. Franklin's picture is effortlessly wise beneath its entertaining surface. Oct 27, 2021 Full Review Devil in a Blue Dress | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Patricia Bibby Associated Press It is a smart, sly film imbued with the rich subtle tones of a mournful blues saxophone piece, worthy of comparisons to some of the best noir films of decades past. Oct 27, 2021 Full Review Devil in a Blue Dress | Rotten Tomatoes (3) S. Renee Mitchell Detroit Free Press The film climaxes in a gun battle that's as painfully predictable as they come and -- as he did with the movie in general -- Mouse saves the day. His departure from the screen brakes the film to a near halt. Rated: 2/4 Oct 27, 2021 Full Review Devil in a Blue Dress | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Todd James Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta) The story unfolds slowly, but it's a script that will hook you from the start. Rated: 4/5 Mar 29, 2024 Full Review Devil in a Blue Dress | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Brian Susbielles InSession Film Carl Franklin’s neo-noir is hard-boiled and filled with moods of disillusionment in Los Angeles... Feb 22, 2023 Full Review Devil in a Blue Dress | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Imran Khan PopMatters Denzel Washington’s voiceover in neo-noir Devil in a Blue Dress is an equal mix of deadpan charm and wide-eyed innocence, which textures and nuances his performance. Oct 19, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member It’s a good crime movie, that’s really good at keeping your attention. All the actors did great! Good movie Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/13/24 Full Review Georgan G Love the music, the characters & the acting. And Denzel looks so good! Very complex plot. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/29/24 Full Review Felix T Not enough Walter Mosley, too much Denzel. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/15/24 Full Review Narciso R Excellent movie, excellent cast. Some sad scenes, but still excellent. NRJ. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/24 Full Review Audience Member Over 25 years old Denzel Washington stars in a classic neo-noir thriller He plays detective Easy Rawlins taking place in Los Angeles as a WWII veteran with little job prospects Rawlins meets a white man named Dewitt who needs someone track down a missing white woman by the name of Daphne Monet He takes the job eager to pay off his financial woes but the case turns out to be much bigger than he thought The character of Easy Rawlins by Walter Mosley has actually appeared in 14 novels There would've been a movie series but it's a shame this didn't make enough money to do so It's still a good 1940s neo-noir mystery thriller full of murder, blackmail, intrigue, and having a private eye attempt to swim through the murky waters of racist and police-corrupted America Works as a good whodunnit as well as an established period piece with a fine performance by Washington Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/08/23 Full Review isa e All time classic, a great book adaptation, the casting was spot on, Washington was brilliant as always, Sizemore and Cobb excel in supporting roles, plot moves along at a brisk pace, and its is note perfect every scene Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Devil in a Blue Dress

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Cast & Crew

Carl Franklin Director Denzel Washington Ezekiel 'Easy' Rawlins Tom Sizemore DeWitt Albright Jennifer Beals Daphne Monet Don Cheadle Raymond 'Mouse' Alexander Maury Chaykin Matthew Terell
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Movie Clips

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Devil in a Blue Dress

Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - You Got Blood on My Coat Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - You Got Blood on My Coat 2:38 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - The Color Line in America Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - The Color Line in America 3:56 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Threatened at Knifepoint Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Threatened at Knifepoint 2:32 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - He's My Brother! Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - He's My Brother! 2:06 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Cabin Shootout Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Cabin Shootout 3:10 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Scaring Racists Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Scaring Racists 2:51 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Meeting Daphne Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Meeting Daphne 3:15 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Corrupt Candidate Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Corrupt Candidate 2:57 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - I'm Not Drunk Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - I'm Not Drunk 1:26 Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Beaten by Cops Devil in a Blue Dress: Official Clip - Beaten by Cops 2:03 View more videos

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Devil in a Blue Dress

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Synopsis In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins (Denzel Washington) is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright (Tom Sizemore), a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals), who he suspects is hiding out in one of the city's black jazz clubs. Strapped for money and facing house payments, Easy takes the job, but soon finds himself in over his head.

Director
Carl Franklin

Producer
Gary Goetzman, Jesse Beaton

Screenwriter
Walter Mosley, Carl Franklin

Distributor
TriStar Pictures, Columbia Tristar, Home Box Office (HBO) [us]

Production Co
Clinica Estetico, TriStar Pictures

Rating
R

Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 29, 1995, Original

Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2016

Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.9M

Runtime
1h 42m

Sound Mix
Surround
Most Popular at Home Now
Devil in a Blue Dress | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

FAQs

What is the message of Devil in a Blue Dress? ›

Devil in a Blue Dress explicitly confronts the racialized implications of classic noir's dichotomy between polite society and dark, shadowy underworlds. Its social critique is brutally honest and sharply targeted; race is both the organizing principle of its power structure and its central mystery.

What object did Coretta store the photos in? ›

They visit Dupree in Compton where, inside Coretta's Bible, Easy finds the contents of a letter and incriminating photographs of Terell with naked children. At home, Easy finds Daphne waiting, and she reveals that Frank is her half-brother: their mother was Creole, and Daphne's father was white while Frank's was Black.

Where was the movie Devil in a Blue Dress filmed? ›

The film was shot mostly in Los Angeles, California. The pier shot where Easy Rawlins gets in trouble with local youths was filmed at the Malibu, California pier. Other locales in Los Angeles include the Griffith Park Observatory and the famed Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard.

Who killed Coretta in Devil in a Blue Dress movie? ›

Easy enlists the help of a friend and fellow Houstonian, Mouse, who shows up due to a half-hearted invitation from Easy and domestic strife back home. Easy and Mouse find Monet with Albright and Joppy, who was revealed to have killed Coretta and Howard Green, someone who had been previously beaten to death.

What does a blue dress symbolize? ›

One of the utmost prevalent colors, blue, is a color that signifies peace, confidence, loyalty, and achievement. It is a soothing color that makes individuals around you feel content.

What is the psychology behind the blue and black dress? ›

Shadows are blue, so we mentally subtract the blue light in order to view the image, which then appears in bright colors — gold and white” “However, artificial light tends to be yellowish, so if we see it brightened in this fashion, we factor out this color, leaving us with a dress that we see as a black and blue,” ...

Was Coretta Scott King half white? ›

Coretta Scott was born in rural Alabama on April 27, 1927, in modest but comfortable circumstances. She was descended from slaves and had a mixed racial heritage; some of her ancestors were Irish.

Did Coretta Scott King ever remarry? ›

Coretta Scott King did not remarry after her husband was assassinated, only fifteen years after they were married. Rather, she spent the remainder of her life carrying his legacy and continuing to be an advocate for peace.

Was Coretta older than Martin? ›

Joining a sorority, conversely, was not in the cards for Coretta. Money was so tight she couldn't go home for Christmas one year. Nearly two years older than Martin, she had arrived in Boston with $15 in her pocket, and a scholarship that covered little more than her tuition and fees at the conservatory.

Devil in a Blue Dress: Crossing the Line ...The Criterion Collectionhttps://www.criterion.com ›

A brutal critique of the American dream, Carl Franklin's 1995 thriller explicitly confronts the racialized implications of classic film noir.
Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “Devil In A Blue Dress” by Walter Mosley. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary...
A wise man once said your future isn't somewhere you're going it's a place that you're creating. Well I think it's safe to say that my peopl...

What is the significance of a blue devil? ›

The Blue Devil mascot has been Duke's beloved mascot for more than 100 years. The name comes from French soldiers during World War I, known as les Diables Bleus, who wore blue uniforms, berets and flowing capes.

What is the meaning of the blues devils? ›

Definition of 'blue devils'

1. a fit of depression or melancholy. 2. an attack of delirium tremens.

What is the blue Devil about? ›

One of the most iconic characters portrayed in Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival, the Blue Devil, or Jab Molassie is one of the oldest forms of 'Devil Mas' , and is a figure with its roots firmly set in the history of the island, dating back to the enslavement of black Africans toiling on the sugar estates.

What is the poem the blue dress about? ›

Saeed Jones's “The Blue Dress,” is describing a deep and lasting impact that his mother has on his life and his identity as a queer person and the desire to be vulnerable and to receive motherly affection.

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