Race, Sexuality, and Violence Surface in the Subversive Neo-Noir "Devil in a Blue Dress"

Carl Franklin’s neo-noir Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) brings to the screen a number of things that were suppressed or ignored by classic noir, including race, sexuality, and violence, ultimately meaning that this film is subversive in other ways than classic noir films. The protagonist is a morally stable, intelligent, black man. The film tackles issues of interracial sex, ruthless politics and power, police corruption, and familial corruption.

The film is set in 1948 Los Angeles. Ezekiel Rawlins also known as, Easy, is a World War II vet and has just recently lost his job unfairly. He is a property owner and takes pride in his achievements. The majority of the cast consists of African Americans, with only a couple important white characters. The film flopped at the box office but is renowned critically. Its poor box office results may be in part because of the predominantly black cast, and the assumption that the film is a ‘black film’ for black audiences. Also, the majority of the cast lacked star power, as many of the actors were fairly new to the Hollywood scene, including Tom Sizemore. Jennifer Beal’s screen time was minimal. The film also didn’t have a “big pay off” audiences were expecting during the neo-noir movement like we see in Chinatown, while others preferred the bittersweet ending. Furthermore, there has been discussion concerning the lack of a love narrative between Easy and Daphne. However, others believe the avoidance of this Hollywood cliché betters the film. Some criticisms of the film concern the narrative itself, and Denzel Washington’s character in particular. He does not learn anything new throughout the course of the film. He does not have any distractions or weaknesses which conflict with his determination of completing his assigned job, apart from the isolated sexual encounter with Corretta who prematurely dies early on in the film. Even so, Easy and Corretta discuss her friend Daphne while they are engaging in sexual acts. It is hardly an interference or disruption of the progression of his investigation.

            Regardless of the poor box office results and the various criticisms of the film, it is without a doubt an alternative perspective of the 1940s film noir as the protagonist is a black male working to restore the equilibrium of the world of white politics. Easy is intelligent and confident, which would have never been a depiction of a black man in classic noir. Furthermore, his character is morally stable, which is a departure from the classic noir hero, as they are usually confronted with issues of greed, selfishness, corruption, sexual distraction, and ulterior motives.

            What is most interesting about this film, apart from the black perspective, is the reversal of conventional race depictions, in the sense that the protagonist and supportive characters are black (or bi-racial in the case of Daphne), and the corrupt, twisted characters are the white characters, including the crooked politicians, DeWitt, and the police. It is a backward film noir, but in a believable, justified, convincing way. Perhaps this alternative narrative approach is a contributor to the mixed reception, as some viewers praise its contrasted perspective, and others question it.