Don Cheadle as Mouse Alexander

Continuing my series on acting, I would like to feature one hell of a breakout role. Last Sunday, I watched Devil in a Blue Dress with my mother, and although I detest watching films on television because they tend to be chopped up beyond recognition of the artist's original intention, I figured I would suffer through my misgivings of the medium. I had been meaning to see it and figured I could get a blog entry out of it. I began the movie thinking that I would write an entry on Denzel Washington (playing Easy Rawlins), but, surprisingly, somewhere around the 50-60 minute mark, it became clear who has the more affecting performance in the film.

Don Cheadle plays Mouse Alexander, a small time crook with a noticeable affinity for shooting, violence, and scene-stealing. Although the film explains little about the past relationship between Easy and Mouse, maybe something about a past murder and other hoodwinks, the relationship plays fine without the burden of the exposition or backstory.

Mouse is the embodiment of a loose cannon. His penchant for violence is a variable that works for and against Easy within the film, requiring Easy to calculate Mouse's possible actions into every decision. Cheadle's Mouse is played with a knowing exuberance of the character's brash and unapologetic style.

A lot of times, when you have a violent character on screen, many actors and directors try to push him more to the crazy or deranged side of the spectrum. They have a calmness about them that distances the audience from their actions because the most logical reaction to shooting a person in the face or whatever other heinous deeds would be outrage. For evidence see Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs, Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, or myriad of other serial killers portrayed on screen. This isn't so with Don Cheadle. Mouse isn't crazy, he's simply wild; he's not out of control, he's simply working with a different set of morals.

Pay attention to Cheadle's demeanor within the above scene. He raises his voice. He gets impatient. Qualities like this tend to forge a connection between the audience and the character. For a character who has a history of shooting with little provocation, it provides an interesting kinship with the audience. His character, in essence, actuates our own desires when the audience is given that connection with the character; he reacts the way that we would. This character is so successful because of his fervor and candor. Whereas most people would be reticent about shooting a person in the arm, Mouse does not share that view. He's a man with little patience and a big gun.

Introducing a wild card into the film, Cheadle's performance is aided by his chemistry with Denzel Washington. It's nice to see two titans of the acting game before they became what they are today. I love both performances, but I give the edge to Cheadle, not only because he does more with less screen time, but his character's frankness and loyalty are fiendishly compelling aspects of his performance.

Best Line:

"I'm tryin' to do right...I mean you know, now"