devil in a blue dress

Director: carl franklin

Actor: denzel washington,tom sizemore,jennifer beals,don cheadle

Data Published: Fri Sep 29 1995

Genres: Crime,Drama,Mystery,Thriller

Key Words: african american,jazz club,private detective,missing person,jazz music

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112857/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_in_a_Blue_Dress_(film)

Description: Devil in a Blue Dress is a movie starring Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, and Jennifer Beals. An African-American man is hired to find a woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal.

Plot: In the summer of 1948, Easy Rawlins is recently laid off from his job at Champion Aircraft, and needs money urgently to pay his mortgage. Easy's friend Joppy, who runs a bar, introduces him to a white man named DeWitt Albright. Albright is looking for someone to help him find a missing white woman, Daphne Monet, assumed to be hiding somewhere in the African American community; he also learns she is the girlfriend of wealthy Todd Carter, who was the favorite in the Los Angeles mayoral race before dropping out. Albright, who says Carter dropped out because he couldn't find Daphne, offers Rawlins $100 to take the job. Easy accepts but is immediately suspicious. Daphne is known to spend time in the juke joints along Central Avenue and Easy begins his search at an illegal club on 89th and Central. While waiting to enter, he sees a commotion between a white man, Richard McGee, and the club's bouncer, Junior Fornay. He then meets with friends Degan Odell and Dupree Brouchard and girlfriend Coretta James. He learns that Coretta is a confidant of Daphne. After spending the night with her, he discovers Daphne was involved with a South Central gangster named Frank Green. Easy is called by Albright to set up a meeting at the Malibu pier. While waiting, Easy is accosted by several local white youths after a casual conversation with one of their girlfriends. Easy, trying to calm the situation, is nearly overtaken when Albright appears from the darkness. Albright viciously humiliates and beats one of the punks. Easy, uncomfortable with the situation, gives his information to Albright, who retains him with another payment and demands he continue his search. When Easy gets home, he is arrested by two LAPD homicide detectives. He learns that Coretta was savagely murdered after his night with her. He is released after some rough treatment. While walking home, he is followed by Mathew Terell, the other candidate in the mayoral race. He gets into the car and finds Terell with a young boy, supposedly his adopted son. Terell makes it clear that he is also very interested in finding Daphne. Easy, wary of Terell's motives, asks to be dropped off and walks home. After a nightmare about Coretta, he receives a call from Daphne. They meet at the Ambassador Hotel, where she asks for his help. She needs to go into the Hollywood Hills and meet a person with information vital to her and Todd Carter. Easy nervously drives her to her destination. The house has been ransacked and the occupant, Richard McGee, is dead. Easy finds a clue to his murder. Daphne flees in a panic. The next morning, Easy returns home to find Albright and his goons waiting for him; his connection to the murder of Coretta is now used to force him to resume his search for the girl. Easy enlists the help of his friend, Mouse Alexander. Easy's goal is to uncover why Daphne is so important to so many people and, in the process, keep himself out of jail. He meets with Todd Carter, securing money to locate Daphne. Upon learning that Albright is not employed by Carter, Easy returns home. He is warned by a neighbor that an ambush awaits. Easy turns around in time to grab Frank Green. The two men fight in the house. Green gets the upper hand, but Mouse comes to the rescue. Easy tries to reason with Frank but Mouse shoots him. Frank manages to escape. Easy and Mouse meet up with Dupree, and find out that Coretta had been in possession of pictures of Terell with naked children. Easy finds the pictures in Coretta's Bible. Junior Fornay reveals that after Junior's altercation with McGee, he drove him home to the Hills to pick up money. He is cornered when Easy reveals a pack of Mexican Zapata cigarettes smoked only by Junior. Junior pleads with Mouse and Easy that he isn't the killer. At home, he gets a visit from Daphne. Easy learns that Daphne hid from Carter because of her association with Frank Green, her half-brother. Daphne's mother from New Orleans had given birth to two children by different fathers, and although Daphne's own father was white, her half-brother's father was black. Being the fiancée of a mayoral favorite with partial African-American heritage would ensure a loss for Carter. Terell's knowledge of this is the reason Carter dropped out of the race. Daphne says McGee sold the pictures to her, and Easy infers Albright killed McGee while looking for the pictures, then Junior gave them to Coretta, who hid them in her Bible. Daphne reveals that Coretta was killed accidentally by Joppy although Daphne had only asked him to scare her into silence. Albright and his men burst into Easy's house, subduing Easy and abducting Daphne. When he regains consciousness, Easy calls Mouse and they race to Joppy's to get a fix on Albright's location. At the bar, Easy abducts Joppy at gunpoint. He learns where Albright is, although Mouse nearly shoots them both in the process. Easy only calms Mouse down by telling him they could be rewarded $7,000 that Daphne will pay for photographs that Easy has obtained. In the Hollywood Hills, they set up an ambush, shooting Albright and his goons while rescuing Daphne. When Easy returns to the car he finds Joppy dead, killed by Mouse. Easy finds out the money Daphne paid him and Mouse for the photographs came from a large sum originally given to her by Carter's family as a bribe to get out of town. She had only stayed because she believed they would change their minds and allow Carter to marry her if he won. Although Carter is now certain to become mayor, he refuses her pleas, despite saying that he loves her. She leaves in tears. Easy gives Carter the photographs that prove that Matthew Terell is a pedophile in exchange for the $800 he is owed. Carter promises Easy there will be no more trouble with the police. Easy drops off Daphne at her brother's apartment and notes that she subsequently left town with her brother.