I read "Devil in a Blue Dress" many years ago and was enthralled by the depiction of post WW2 Black Los Angeles. It was a world I'd never had access to before, and Walter Mosely depicted it so vividly I felt it. I finally saw this movie, from the Criterion Collection, and there it was again before my eyes. The movie is great, but I need to put in a plug for the conversations that are included on the Blu-ray. Even if you know the movie by heart, pick the Blu-ray to hear them. ( )

Enjoyable and atmospheric (an incredible number of old cars) film about the recently unemployed Washington (Easy Rawlings) finding himself in the middle of a complex plot revolving around Jennifer Beals. Not a great film, but Washington, Cheadle, Sizemore, and some of the other cast turn in performances that are just right, so the whole thing works. ( )