Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

Celebrating 100 Years of Columbia Pictures

Easy Rawlins (Denzel Washington), a decorated WWII hero, is trying to get by in segregated America. After losing his job, he ends up working as a detective on the trail of a missing white woman (Jennifer Beals) who is thought to be hiding somewhere in LA’s black community. Before long, trouble is around every corner. This richly atmospheric hard-boiled whodunit, which also stars a trigger-happy Don Cheadle in a scene-stealing performance, is based on Walter Mosley’s novel of the same name. The film is a suave, smart, stylish neo-noir from Franklin (One False Move), which has increasingly found recognition as a towering achievement of ’90s Black Hollywood.

Directed by Carl Franklin

Rated R