ortega76
Practically Family
- Messages
- 804
- Location
- South Suburbs, Chicago
Has anyone seen this flick?
The movie doesn't do as great of a job as the novel of examining life in post-war black LA, but it's servicable. I like the costuming. Denzel's working class Easy Rawlins rarely rolls around in suits, preferring the "country" look of a wifebeater, suspenders and a weathered lid. He's smart enough to break out the nice threads when he goes downtown, but otherwise he's a little rough around the edges.
It's almost always the supporting characters that make the movie for me. Don Cheadle as the vicious, affable killer Mouse is great. I love his wardrobe, and the brown bowler is a nice touch. I read the entire Easy Rawlins series last year, and I think Don Cheadle is one of the few actors I could see playing this role.
About the only role I didn't think was filled well was Jennifer Beals. I've never found her to be even a passable actress. In this role, she lacks the air of mystery and attraction to be in a film that aspires to noir status. The costuming is great. The locales are great and make me wish that the LA of 1948 still existed today. The characters are very human, with everyone having their own secret hopes and dreams and pain. Easy is an imperfect hero- quick-witted but sometimes out of his element. It's a close modernization of classic film noir. Some more recent films are more successful in following the classic film noir formula (L.A. Confidential springing to mind), but I do recommend throwing this in your Net Flix queu. I give it a 7 out of 10.
The movie doesn't do as great of a job as the novel of examining life in post-war black LA, but it's servicable. I like the costuming. Denzel's working class Easy Rawlins rarely rolls around in suits, preferring the "country" look of a wifebeater, suspenders and a weathered lid. He's smart enough to break out the nice threads when he goes downtown, but otherwise he's a little rough around the edges.
It's almost always the supporting characters that make the movie for me. Don Cheadle as the vicious, affable killer Mouse is great. I love his wardrobe, and the brown bowler is a nice touch. I read the entire Easy Rawlins series last year, and I think Don Cheadle is one of the few actors I could see playing this role.
About the only role I didn't think was filled well was Jennifer Beals. I've never found her to be even a passable actress. In this role, she lacks the air of mystery and attraction to be in a film that aspires to noir status. The costuming is great. The locales are great and make me wish that the LA of 1948 still existed today. The characters are very human, with everyone having their own secret hopes and dreams and pain. Easy is an imperfect hero- quick-witted but sometimes out of his element. It's a close modernization of classic film noir. Some more recent films are more successful in following the classic film noir formula (L.A. Confidential springing to mind), but I do recommend throwing this in your Net Flix queu. I give it a 7 out of 10.
