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Denzel Washington stars in this adaptation of the novel by African-American crime author Walter Mosley , the first of his stories to reach the screen. Ezekiel Rawlins (Washington), known to his friends as "Easy," has just lost his job at an aircraft plant in post-WW II Los Angeles, a time when good-paying jobs for black men are hard to come by. He's wondering how to make his mortgage payment when he's approached by De Witt Albright ( Tom Sizemore ), who describes his job as "doing favors for friends." It seems that a woman named Daphne Monet ( Jennifer Beals ) has gone missing; Daphne is the former girlfriend of current mayoral candidate Todd Carter ( Terry Kinney ) and a known habitué of the black jazz clubs and night spots on L.A.'s Central Avenue. Albright offers Easy $100 to help him find Daphne, and while he doesn't have any detective experience, the price is right, so Easy agrees. Easy enlists the help of his friend Mouse ( Don Cheadle ), who seems to know just a bit too well how to use a gun, and begins searching for Daphne, which gives him all too clear a look at the lower depths of L.A.'s upper crust. — Mark Deming
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