DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (1995)

It's 1948 in LA, and Ezekiel Easy) Rawlins (Denzel Washington) is out of work and about to lose his home. A friend introduces him to seemingly amiable Dewitt Albright (Tom Sizemore, always good), who gives him $100 to locate Daphne (Jennifer Beals), missing girlfriend of a mayoral candidate who dropped out of the race. Rawlins soon finds out, like Jake Gittes in "Chinatown," that he's way over his head in a lethal plot that has him battling Albright, a ruthless gangster, the racist LAPD, and assorted black hoodlums and traitors. He sends for his murderous pal Mouse (Don Cheadle), and the combination of Easy's cool intelligence and Mouse's cheerful lethality save the day. Director Carl Franklin shows how to make a convincing film noir from a black perspective; and while he doesn't hit you over the head with the race card, you see how Easy's skin color makes his survival a crapshoot. The filming and design are richly authentic, and the cast is all-around brilliant, especially the three principals. But, the plot is almost too convoluted to follow, and at times it seems as if characters are added just to make the movie longer. Still, a good watch.