

Bottom line: This is not a piece of art but its a good piece of entertainment. Lisa Nicole Carson has a brief appearance, but she makes a character that will prove important and has brought to life one of the most laughable sex scenes I've ever seen in movies. On the other hand, all the actresses were in the shadow and do not stand out, starting with Jennifer Beals, who seems to be too lazy to act in this movie, just appearing and saying the lines they paid her to say. Though not the best movie, Denzel Washington has done his job well and starred brilliantly with Don Cheadle, who has a more impactful and intense character.

But that does not mean that the actors did not work well. This is not something that stands out, unlike most films, where cast can ruin the entire movie. In fact, we are so absorbed by the film's ambience and our own curiosity about the plot that we hardly notice the way actors take their characters and bring them to life. In the midst of such quality, I would almost venture to say that the cast just needs not to ruin everything. To help, he has inserted a good soundtrack, that knows how to stand out at the right times, making the environment more dense and mysterious, enriching the final product. The director carefully recreated the period, aware of the impact it would have. The time in which all takes place (late forties) helps a lot: we can still admire those mythical cars with protruding fenders and chrome radiators and that Bugsy Siegel-style fedora hats. In fact, director Carl Franklin skillfully and elegantly blended the gangster and mystery genres with light touches of "blaxploitation" in the middle, harmonizing and giving the film a high dose of charm packed in jazz. But I think the plot would not have the strength it has without the environment that was created around it. It is a script that has many twists and turns and, in itself, does not fill us with boredom nor did it seem too predictable. Summed up like this, the plot is absolutely promising, and in fact, I was well attached to the plot, curious to know what had happened to this mysterious woman. But things get more complicated when he realizes that she may have been involved with mobsters and very dangerous people who may have every interest in liquidating him. Hardworking, discreet Ezekiel Rawlins was just looking for a job to pay the bills and live normally, but the need eventually forces him to accept something different: as a detective, he must look for the girlfriend of a powerful Los Angeles politician who seems to have run away with another Hardworking, discreet Ezekiel Rawlins was just looking for a job to pay the bills and live normally, but the need eventually forces him to accept something different: as a detective, he must look for the girlfriend of a powerful Los Angeles politician who seems to have run away with another man.
