Devil in a Blue Dress . Tucson Weekly . 10-12-95

Devil in a Blue Dress

DIRECTED BY: Carl Franklin

REVIEWED: 10-12-95

No, Denzel Washington doesn't get into drag here--you're thinking Wesley Snipes in that Wong Foo thing. In this noirish period piece, Washington confidently stars in the kind of role Humphrey Bogart was known for 50 years ago: a small-timer who, finding himself enmeshed in a mysterious scandal, must negotiate with a series of colorful (and dangerous) characters in order to climb his way out. Director Carl Franklin does only a fair job forging the basic elements of intrigue and personality necessary to sustain this sort of picture; his film is more notable for re-imagining the genre from a black perspective, placing Washington in a world where he must overcome not only seedy characters, but racial boundaries as well.

--Zachary Woodruff

Capsule Reviews
Devil in a Blue Dress

Other Films by Carl Franklin
One True Thing

Film Vault Suggested Links
The Game
Extreme Measures
Just Cause

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