Devil in a Blue Dress
Seen it?1995 | 102 min | Thriller, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (89% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had a box office loss. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans and anyone who likes to be kept guessing. If you loved L.A. Confidential, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Tense, dark and gritty.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 42 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: expect violence.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright, a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet, 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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
89% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
6.5 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
Awards data unavailable, so this isn't counted
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$16 million worldwide on a $27 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 147K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Carl Franklin
- Denzel WashingtonEasy Rawlins
- Tom SizemoreDeWitt Albright
- Jennifer BealsDaphne Monet
- Don CheadleMouse Alexander
- Maury ChaykinMatthew Terell
- Terry KinneyTodd Carter
- Mel WinklerJoppy
- Albert HallDegan Odell
- Lisa Nicole CarsonCoretta James
- Jernard BurksDupree Brouchard