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Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics What's this?

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  • Starring: Denzel Washington, Jennifer Beals, Tom Sizemore
  • Summary: Denzel Washington stars as Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, a decorated war hero who returns home to the segregation of post-war America. Forced to accept an under-the-table job finding a missing socialite, Easy is caught between the white power elite and the vibrant black community of Central Avenue. And as soon as Easy and his trigger-happy friend Mouse (Cheadle) find the mysterious Daphne Monet (Beals), trouble follows. (Sony) Collapse
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 21
  2. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. 100
    Writer and director Carl Franklin ("One False Move") scores a triumph in using the brooding atmosphere and racial tension of the sun-kissed, seedy City of Angels to reveal character and reclaim a neglected past that ace cinematographer Tak Fujimoto brings to vivid life.
  2. What's most memorable about it is the period flavor, including a detailed and precise account of the jim crow complications blacks had to contend with.
  3. Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    80
    Writer-director Carl Franklin's cool, expert adaptation of Devil in a Blue Dress, Mosley's first novel, evokes the spirit of '40s film noir more effectively than any movie since Chinatown.
  4. Reviewed by: Kim Newman
    60
    Compared to similar genre offerings, this ain't much cop. But standing alone, it's an entertaining and amiable film.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of
  2. Mixed: 0 out of
  3. Negative: 0 out of