In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright, a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet, who he suspects is hiding out in one of the city's black jazz clubs. Strapped for money and facing house payments, Easy takes the job, but soon finds himself in over his head.
Acting
Denzel's simmering dignity vs. Cheadle's terrifying unpredictability.
Direction
Carl Franklin's precise, sweaty recreation of Black LA's hidden geography.
Cinematography
Honey-drenched shadows that make racism look almost beautiful.
Director
Carl Franklin
Denzel Washington
Easy Rawlins
Tom Sizemore
DeWitt Albright
Jennifer Beals
Daphne Monet
Don Cheadle
Mouse Alexander
Maury Chaykin
Matthew Terell
Terry Kinney
Todd Carter
Mel Winkler
Joppy
Albert Hall
Degan Odell
Lisa Nicole Carson
Coretta James
Jernard Burks
Dupree Brouchard
David Fonteno
Junior Fornay
John Roselius
Mason
Beau Starr
Miller
Steven Randazzo
Benny Giacomo
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Carl Franklin's first studio feature after years in TV; he fought to shoot in actual 1940s Watts locations.
The novel launched Walter Mosley's career and this adaptation helped revive Black noir—though it flopped, becoming a cult object instead.
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