Devil in a Blue Dress

3. "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995)

Washington's tough-guy take on mystery writer Walter Mosley's hero, Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, proved that the author's creation could hold his own against Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade and other movie gumshoes who get the high-hat from lunkheaded ... morethugs and leggy dames. Actually, Rawlins isn't even a proper private dick; he's just a former working stiff who needs dough, which is why he agrees to track down the mysterious, M.I.A. Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals). This being '40s Los Angeles, a.k.a Noirsville, U.S.A., he soon finds himself nose-deep in blackmail, buried secrets and a growing body count. Though Don Cheadle's scene-stealing sidekick Mouse garnered the lion's share of praise after the movie's release, it's Washington's turn — equal parts matinee idol-charisma and Bogartesque cool — that gives the film such a wonderfully old-school Hollywood flavor.

(Image: Everett Collection)