The year is 1948, the place is Los Angeles, and Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins (Denzel Washington) is a black man who has just lost his job and is in dire need of money. So, despite having no experience as a private eye, Easy accepts an assignment from a seedy man (Tom Sizemore) to find the missing Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals), the mistress of a powerful mayoral candidate. As Rawlins conducts his search, he unexpectedly becomes drawn into a complex racially-charged web of intrigue involving political machinations, double-crossings, blackmail, and mysterious deaths. With the aid of his trigger-happy friend Mouse (Don Cheadle), Easy must rely on his instincts and neophyte detective skills, not only to solve the case, but also to save his life. African-American director Carl Franklin (ONE FALSE MOVE) brings Walter Mosley's crime series to life with this dense thriller, aided greatly by Tak Fujimoto's sun-soaked photography and an electric soundtrack reflecting the music of the times. As Easy Rawlins, an everyman who finds himself an unwilling pawn in a dangerous game of mystery and murder, Washington delivers an intense performance. It is Don Cheadle, however, who steals the show, giving his hot-tempered Mouse a comic humanity that is at once menacing, hysterical, and unforgettable.
DVD Features
Region 1 Keep Case Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85 Full Frame - 1.33 Letterbox - 1.85 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Additional Release Material: Audio Commentary: Carl Franklin - Director Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer Screen Test: 1. Don Cheadle Interactive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Selection
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A good film noir by Carl Franklin (One False Move), with great cinematography by Tak Fujimoto ("John Adams", The Sixth Sense). Denzel Washington is fantastic as 'Easy' Rawlins, with Don Cheadle as... Read the whole review at MatchFlick
