Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle's 1995 crime drama is still worth streaming over 30 years later

(L-R) Don Cheadle and Denzel Washington in "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995). — (Image credit: Alamy)

The Tom's Guide Verdict: 'Devil in a Blue Dress'

Rating: ★★★½ stars

Verdict: This neo-noir crime drama is well-made, and Denzel Washington puts on a more than servicable performance as a makeshift private investigator. But "Devil in a Blue Dress" goes up another level the instant Don Cheadle walks in the door, and it's why this movie is still a must-watch 30 years later.

Where to watch: Buy or rent "Devil in a Blue Dress" from Amazon, or stream it on Prime Video with Sony Pictures Core (7-day free trial)

"Devil in a Blue Dress" was always going to be an anticipated entry in the Denzel Watchathon. This neo-noir crime drama is not the most well-known Denzel Washington movie of the 1990s; it's not even his biggest (or best) movie of 1995. But it's critically beloved. It's currently rated 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with over 120 reviews, which is no mean feat.

But the real reason this movie lives on is Don Cheadle's supporting performance. While Denzel is more than serviceable as Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, a former soldier unexpectedly thrust into the role of private investigator, it's Cheadle who steals the show. His performance as Mouse, Easy's old friend who comes to aid in Easy's investigation, turns the movie up a notch literally the second he walks in the door. It transforms the movie from something merely well-made to an actual must-watch.

If you want to watch this movie before you read on, I have bad news, and I have good news. "Devil in a Blue Dress" isn't currently streaming on any of the best streaming services or the best free streaming services. But if you don't want to buy or rent it from Amazon, you can stream it with a Sony Pictures Core subscription add-on via Prime Video. Sony Pictures Core currently has a seven-day free trial, so if you do it right, you can stream this movie for free, then cancel your subscription, rather than paying to buy or rent it. Regardless of how you choose to watch it, I found it worth the $3.99.

Cheadle saves 'Devil in a Blue Dress' from being merely good

Read more Denzel Watchathon

Here are the other Denzel Washington movies I've covered so far in our Denzel Watchathon:

If you are new to this ongoing series, I'm currently watching every one of Denzel's 52 movies in his filmography, one per week, throughout 2026. I started with 1981's "Carbon Copy," and I'm ending with last year's "Highest 2 Lowest."

So far, I'm through 17 of those 52 movies (not including "Devil in a Blue Dress"), and on more than one occasion, I've seen Denzel work with another great actor. He's been paired with Gene Hackman more than once, John Lithgow has shown up a few times and his team-up with Tom Hanks in "Philadelphia" is incredible. This time, he's paired with Don Cheadle.

As I mentioned earlier, in this neo-noir crime film, Denzel plays Easy, a man drawn unexpectedly into a conspiracy regarding the Los Angeles mayoral race and forced to become a private investigator. He's hired by a P.I. named Albright (Tom Sizemore) to track down Daphne (Jennifer Beals), the missing fiancée of former mayoral candidate Todd Carter (Terry Kinney). He finds her, only to discover he's dealing with something far more sinister, so he calls up his old friend from Houston, Mouse (Cheadle), to come in and help.

Mouse doesn't get there until probably an hour into the movie, but the second Cheadle shows up, it's a shot in the arm for the film. That's not to say that the movie is boring or slow up to that point, but there's a calm before the storm feeling to the drama. Once Cheadle arrives, he brings the thunder and the movie is transformed into something electric. I genuinely sat up straighter from that moment on.

This is a first in my Denzel movie marathon. There have been movies where Denzel isn't the best performance in the movie, like in "Philadelphia," but that's an excellent movie that has an Oscar-winning performance from Hanks paired with a merely really good Denzel performance.

Typically, in a middling movie, which you could argue "Devil in a Blue Dress" is in its first act, it's Denzel that comes in to save things with his charisma.

But this time, it's inarguably Cheadle that saves the movie. He's brilliant as Mouse. You couldn't imagine anyone else in the role, which he completely slides into. His character's erratic, mercurial nature is a perfect counter to the more measured Easy, but it's more than that. Cheadle simply takes over the film from the moment he shows up until the moment he leaves.

Verdict: Denzel and Cheadle are still a must-watch

DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (1995) – Official Trailer - YouTube

Watch On

I know I just spent paragraphs talking about how this becomes Cheadle's movie, but don't mistake that for saying that this is a bad Denzel performance. He's still good, and he and Cheadle on screen together is what makes this movie a must-watch.

This also isn't a bad movie in its own right. It's good. The story is well-constructed, the production values are good and there isn't really a weak performance in the cast; some performances are just better than others. If you removed Cheadle and replaced him with someone else, this would likely still be watchable, but it would lack that spark that makes it truly a movie you need to see at least once in your life.

Buy or rent "Devil in a Blue Dress" from Amazon now (or stream on Prime Video with a Sony Pictures Core 7-day free trial)

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Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.