Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

The film begins in noir fashion when Easy Rawlins (Denzel Washington) says “A man once told me that when you step out of your door in the morning, you’re already in trouble. The only question is, are you on top of that trouble or not?”
In the summer of 1948, Easy Rawlins is recently laid off from his job at Douglas Aircraft, and needs money urgently to pay his mortgage. Easy recounts how he moved to Los Angeles after serving in WW-II when his friend Joppy (Mel Winkler), who runs a bar, introduces him to a white man named DeWitt Albright (Tom Sizemore). Albright is looking for someone to help him find a missing white woman, Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals), assumed to be hiding somewhere in the Black community; he also learns she is the girlfriend of wealthy Todd Carter (Terry Kinney), who was the favorite in the Los Angeles mayoral race before dropping out. Albright, who says Carter dropped out because he couldn’t find Monet, offers Rawlins $100 to take the job. Easy accepts but is immediately suspicious of Albright. Monet is known to spend time in the black juke joint clubs in South Central Los Angeles and Easy begins his search at an illegal club on 89th and Central.
While waiting to enter, he sees a commotion with a bizarre white man, Richard McGee, and the clubs bouncer, Junior Fornay. After entering, he meets with his friends Degan Odell, Dupree Brouchard, and his girl Coretta James. He learns that Coretta is a confidant of Daphne and after spending the night with her, he learns Daphne was involved with a South Central gangster named Frank Green.
He is called by Albright the following afternoon 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. He viciously humiliates and beats one of the punks for his actions. 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. They take him into custody where he learns that Coretta was savagely murdered after his night with her. He is released later after rough treatment. While walking home, he is followed by Mathew Terrell, the other candidate in the mayoral race. He gets into the car where he finds Terrell with a young boy, supposedly his adopted son. Terrell makes it clear that he is also very interested in finding Daphne Monet. Easy, careful of Terrell’s motives, asks to be dropped off and walks home.
After a nightmare about Coretta, he receives a call from Daphne Monet. She instructs him to meet her 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 reluctantly agrees to help and nervously drives her to her destination. When they arrive at the house, they find it ransacked and the occupant, Richard McGee, dead. Easy finds a clue to his murder. Monet flees in a panic leaving Easy behind.
The next morning, Easy returns home to find Albright and his goons waiting for him; his connection to the murder of Coretta now used to force him to resume his search for the girl. After the exchange, Easy enlists the help of his sadistic and trigger-happy friend, Mouse Alexander (Don Cheadle), from Houston, Texas. Easy’s goal is to uncover why Monet is so important to so many people and, in the process, keep himself out of jail, which is not an easy task for a black man living in post-World War II Los Angeles.
He meets with Todd Carter, where he secures money to locate Daphne. Easy, learning that Albright is not employed by Carter at all, returns home. Before he enters, he is warned by his neighbor, (Barry Shabaka Henley), 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, cutting into Easy’s throat, but Mouse comes to the rescue. Easy tries to reason with Frank but Mouse shoots him in an attempt to extort information, letting Frank escape. Easy and Mouse meet up with Dupree, get him intoxicated and find out that Coretta had been in possession of a package that was vital to the mayoral race–-pictures of Terrell with “innocent, helpless, naked children.” Easy finds the pictures hidden in Coretta’s Bible.
They find Junior Fornay, the bouncer at the 89th and Central club, and learn that after Junior’s altercation with McGee, he drove him home to the Hills to pick up money. He is cornered when Easy reveals the clue, a pack of Mexican Zapata cigarettes smoked only by Junior. Junior pleads with Mouse and Easy that he isn’t the killer. Now involved in two murders, Easy then travels to Joppy’s, where he vents his rage at Joppy for getting him into such a mess. Joppy explains that all he wanted to do was set him up with some work. Easy is disgusted at Joppy’s answer and leaves.
When he returns 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 Creole 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. Terrell’s knowledge of this fact is the reason Carter dropped out of the race. Naturally, pictures of Terrell with children would cause him to drop out, bringing Carter victory.
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. 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 with $7,000 dollars 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 and the photographs. When Easy returns to the car he finds Joppy dead, killed by Mouse. Easy hands over the photographs that prove that Matthew Terrell is a pedophile. Carter promises Easy there will be no more trouble with the police.
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.
The film closes with Easy and Odell relaxing on his porch, enjoying life, contemplating events and wondering what their future would hold.

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