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What Denzel Washington didn't tell you about Easy Rawlins
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Throughout the series, Mosley chronicles a storyline full of intrigue and suspense, girded by the ever-present challenges of race in post-war Los Angeles. In each book, Easy is faced with what appears to be an insurmountable task that could result in imprisonment or death, but he ALWAYS manages.
One of Easy’s coping techniques is his reliable side-kick Mouse. Mouse represents Easy’s alter ego: the villain Easy despises and the muscle Easy often needs. The complexity of this character and his motley crew of friends is surely what attracted the attention of Hollywood.
In 1995, Easy Rawlins came to the big screen through Carl Franklin’s cinematic adaptation of Mosley’s first Rawlins mystery, Devil in a Blue Dress, and a dazzling performance from Denzel Washington. This, at first glance, was a great moment for Mosley, but I believe a huge facet of Mosley’s character was missing in the film.
Franklin’s adaptation omitted Easy’s role as a father – the position that compels Easy to overcome obstacles, dodge the police, and escape death time and time again. It’s too bad this component of Easy’s character was left of the movie adaptation, although understandable – Easy didn’t become an adopted father until the end of the book. However, I believe this to be a role that calms and humanizes Easy and the entire series – it’s a shame it was left out.
Hopefully we’ll have an opportunity to see more of Easy in film, and maybe then we’ll get to witness the galvanizing love he shows his children throughout the mystery series.
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