 Tagline: In a world divided by black and white, Easy Rawlins is about to cross the line. Denzel Washington turns up the heat as a L.A. private eye in this steamy mystery from director Carl Franklin. 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 find the mysterious Daphne Monet trouble fellows. Storyline: It is 1948 in LA and Ezikeal "Easy" Rawlins, an African-American World War II veteran, is looking for work. At his friend's bar, he is introduced to a white man, DeWitt Albright, who is looking for someone to help him find a missing white woman assumed to be hiding somewhere in LA's Black community. This woman, Daphane Monet, happens to be the fiancée of a wealthy "blue blood," Todd Carter, who is currently the favorite in the city's mayoralty race. Daphane Monet is known to frequent the Black jazz clubs in LA. Easy, innocently, accepts Albright's offer; however, he quickly finds himself amidst murder, crooked cops, ruthless politicians, and brutalizing hoodlums. This is a Chandler-esque "who-done-it" with an African-American theme. Written by Joel Schesser Cast Notes: Denzel Washington (Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins/Narrator), Tom Sizemore (DeWitt Albright), Jennifer Beals (Daphne Monet/Ruby Charles, Todd Carter's Fiance), Don Cheadle (Raymone "Mouse" Alexander), Maury Chaykin (Matthew Terell, Mayoral Candidate), Terry Kinney (Todd Carter, Mayoral Candidate), Mel Winkler (Joppy, Bartender), Albert Hall [I] (Degan Odell), Lisa Nicole Carson (Coretta James), Jernard Burks (Dupree Brouchard), David Wolos-Fonteno (Junior Fornay), John Roselius (Detective Mason LAPD), Beau Starr (Detective Miller LAPD), Steven Randazzo (Benny Giacomo), Scott Lincoln (Richard McGee). User Comment: Mumba-2 Denver • Carl Franklin's adaptation of Walter Mosley's classic detective novel is a dark and funny tale of a detective with bad luck. Denzel Washington handles the material well. However, the star in the film is Don Cheadle as Mouse. This cold blooded killer steals several scenes away from Washington. The film also creates an accurate depiction of the racial climate in the late 40's. Issues of race and identity are displayed in the entire film. And Franklin does an incredible job of controlling the characters and narrative. An incredible film. Summary: The most under rated film of the Decade IMDb Rating (04/22/15): 6.7/10 from 11,940 users IMDb Rating (08/06/01): 6.6/10 from 1,071 users
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