After seeing Dick Tracy in the 6.99$ bin at Future Shop I decided to give it a go with no previous knowledge and being a big fan of Mafia and Crime movies. I was very surprised to see a very fun, smart entertaining movie with solid performances throughout. The movie moves along well, it has of course another solid performance from Warren Beatty, but the real standouts of the film are Al Pacino and Madonna. I was happy to find out that Pacino was nominated for his performance as an over the top gangster trying to take down the city. Madonna was great as the damsel in distress, she really impressed me and added depth to her performance. If you go in with the attitude of wanting to watch a fun, smart movie with great acting and a solid script then give Dick Tracy a try. I don't think you will be disappointed. And Watch for the cameos from Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Kathy Bates and Dustin Hoffman among others.
214 Reviews
Well, it looks pretty
BrandtSponseller12 February 2005
With his sights primarily set on Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino), Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) tries to round up a number of gangsters. At the same time, he informally adopts a street kid (Charlie Korsmo), encounters problems with girlfriend Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), and flirts with Breathless Mahoney (Madonna).
If I were to rate Dick Tracy only on production design--sets, matte paintings, costumes, special make-up, color schemes, and so on--I wouldn't hesitate to give it a 10. Throughout its length, the film looks fantastic--like a surreal, day-glo, pop art film noir. Super saturated primary and secondary colors dominate, occasionally offset by rich tertiary colors. The colors are consistently combined in effective, varied and intriguing ways. The surreal "locations" are a combination of matte paintings and sets seamlessly melded in a manner that remains technically impressive. The make-up effects for Dick Tracy's bizarre characters are excellent. They manage to both capture the precise look of the comic books villains and appear realistic at the same time. If the film were just a set of art photos and/or paintings, it would be one of the masterpieces of at least the 1990s.
However, as a film, there's a story that writers Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr. want to tell. That story is a complete mess. For some godforsaken reason, Cash and Epps try to include every villain from the Tracy comics that they can remember. They seem to also include half of the plot lines they can remember. But they forget to write in any explanation or motivation for why Tracy is going after whomever he's going after at a given moment. Combined with overly quick, abrupt editing that too often bounces back and forth between unrelated scenes, the plot seems as if Cash and Epps set out bullet points of villains, villain interconnections and schemes, then threw them together almost randomly in a string of non-sequiturs.
Characters played by well-known and capable actors are completely wasted. There's just not enough time to get into them. Others, such as Madonna, seem to have demanded contractual clauses that guaranteed screen time (in this case featuring singing) whether the appearance serviced the story or not. Some of the cast, such as Pacino, crazily overact. Others, such as William Forsythe as Flattop, turn in understated performances. I don't mind either style (and who is more fun to watch chewing scenery than Pacino?) but Beatty, who also directed, appears to have not known what he wanted to shoot for in that capacity. Part of the problem could be confusion due to the script being such a mess. Beatty, by the way, displays a peculiar inability to change his facial expression, which remains cemented in a seemingly new character--I'll name him "Frogface"--throughout the film (maybe that's how Beatty always is and I just didn't notice it so much before). In terms of his vocal phrasing and general emoting, Beatty portrays Tracy as a cross between Bob Newhart, Keanu Reeves and Harrison Ford. I like all of those other actors, and I'm definitely a fan of oddities, but in this context, I'm not sure it works. I was never a big reader of the Tracy comics, though. Maybe it's a perfect fit, but I'm guessing that it makes as much sense as Gilbert Gottfried as Batman (which, come to think of it, I'd like to see, but obviously more as a spoof).
There appear to be fans of this film, so the plot must not be such a mess and the performances must not be so questionable in everyone's opinion. For my part, I suggest that you watch the film like a slide show while you put on a couple CDs for a soundtrack and ignore any pretense of a story.
If I were to rate Dick Tracy only on production design--sets, matte paintings, costumes, special make-up, color schemes, and so on--I wouldn't hesitate to give it a 10. Throughout its length, the film looks fantastic--like a surreal, day-glo, pop art film noir. Super saturated primary and secondary colors dominate, occasionally offset by rich tertiary colors. The colors are consistently combined in effective, varied and intriguing ways. The surreal "locations" are a combination of matte paintings and sets seamlessly melded in a manner that remains technically impressive. The make-up effects for Dick Tracy's bizarre characters are excellent. They manage to both capture the precise look of the comic books villains and appear realistic at the same time. If the film were just a set of art photos and/or paintings, it would be one of the masterpieces of at least the 1990s.
However, as a film, there's a story that writers Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr. want to tell. That story is a complete mess. For some godforsaken reason, Cash and Epps try to include every villain from the Tracy comics that they can remember. They seem to also include half of the plot lines they can remember. But they forget to write in any explanation or motivation for why Tracy is going after whomever he's going after at a given moment. Combined with overly quick, abrupt editing that too often bounces back and forth between unrelated scenes, the plot seems as if Cash and Epps set out bullet points of villains, villain interconnections and schemes, then threw them together almost randomly in a string of non-sequiturs.
Characters played by well-known and capable actors are completely wasted. There's just not enough time to get into them. Others, such as Madonna, seem to have demanded contractual clauses that guaranteed screen time (in this case featuring singing) whether the appearance serviced the story or not. Some of the cast, such as Pacino, crazily overact. Others, such as William Forsythe as Flattop, turn in understated performances. I don't mind either style (and who is more fun to watch chewing scenery than Pacino?) but Beatty, who also directed, appears to have not known what he wanted to shoot for in that capacity. Part of the problem could be confusion due to the script being such a mess. Beatty, by the way, displays a peculiar inability to change his facial expression, which remains cemented in a seemingly new character--I'll name him "Frogface"--throughout the film (maybe that's how Beatty always is and I just didn't notice it so much before). In terms of his vocal phrasing and general emoting, Beatty portrays Tracy as a cross between Bob Newhart, Keanu Reeves and Harrison Ford. I like all of those other actors, and I'm definitely a fan of oddities, but in this context, I'm not sure it works. I was never a big reader of the Tracy comics, though. Maybe it's a perfect fit, but I'm guessing that it makes as much sense as Gilbert Gottfried as Batman (which, come to think of it, I'd like to see, but obviously more as a spoof).
There appear to be fans of this film, so the plot must not be such a mess and the performances must not be so questionable in everyone's opinion. For my part, I suggest that you watch the film like a slide show while you put on a couple CDs for a soundtrack and ignore any pretense of a story.
Colorful and glimmer adaptation based on famous comic strips created by Chester Gould
ma-cortes30 May 2012
Warren Beatty successfully bringing the comic strip to life , the renowned police detective Dick Tracy who this time tries to solve a case involving Big Boy , the public enemy nº 1 . Beatty wears the caps on all fronts , as he is actor , writer , producer and filmmaker , incarnating the legendary police detective Dick Tracy from Chester Gould's comics and his relentless crusade against crime . However his Tracy is somewhat flat in comparison other comic book heroes . Dick Tracy is the only man tough enough to take on ranting mobster boss Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) and his band of menacing mobsters (William Forsythe and Dustin Hoffman who made a small character as Mumbles as a favor for Warren Beatty) . Big Boy and his gang set out a wave of crime that bring them face to face with dapper Tracy . Dedicated to his work but at the same time devoted to his loyal sweetheart (Glenne Headly ), Tracy find himself torn between love and duty . Tracy becomes even more difficult when he gets saddled with an engaging orphan (Charlie Korsmo) . The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when a singing siren named Mahoney (a seductive Madonna) makes advances towards him while he is attempting to fight Big Boy Caprice's united mob . Later on , Tracy tries to find his kidnapped girlfriend while Big Boy is on the loose .
This comic strip spring to life similarly the original drawings and being faithfully recreated , though sometimes looks like an extended stage musical . The bad guys all have overblown features and they and the cops , journalists all wear different coloured coats to correspond to the drawings in the original comic strips created by Chester Gould . The timeless and imaginative settings capture the essence rather than reality of the city . There's so much music in the movie mostly from Mandy Patinkin and especially Madonna as the singer Breathless Mahoney doing her best screen acting to date . Good though excessive performances from Al Pacino who is perfectly cast as the gangster Big Boy looking like a caricaturist impression of a cartoon and splendid Dustin Hoffman as his hoodlum named Mumbles . The make-up used for all of the villains was based directly on how they were drawn by Chester Gould in the original comic strip , the only exception was Big Boy Caprice, whose make-up was designed by Al Pacino himself. People expecting Gothic scenarios and spectacular action of Batman may be disappointed , but moviegoers will be thrilled . Colorful and stylistically superior cinematography by the Italian Vittorio Storaro , shot in a few colors , the main colors in the film are only six that the original comic strip appeared in: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, plus black and white . Jolly and amusing musical score by Danny Elffman .
Other films about this classic comic book character are the followings : ¨Dick Tracy¨ (1947) 15 chapters starred by Ralph Byrd and directed by John English and Ray Taylor ; ¨Dick Tracy Detective¨ (1945) the first feature movie directed by William Berke with Morgan Conway and Jane Greer ; ¨Tracy returns¨ 15 chapter serial directed by William Witney with Ralph Byrd ; ¨Tracy meets gruesome ¨(1947) with Ralph Byrd and Boris Karloff ; ¨Tracy vs Crime Inc¨; ¨Tracy vs Cueball¨(1946) by Gordon Douglas with Morgan Conway and Anne Jeffreys ; ¨Tracy's dilemma¨ by John Rawlins with Ralph Byrd and Jack Lambert , among others .
This comic strip spring to life similarly the original drawings and being faithfully recreated , though sometimes looks like an extended stage musical . The bad guys all have overblown features and they and the cops , journalists all wear different coloured coats to correspond to the drawings in the original comic strips created by Chester Gould . The timeless and imaginative settings capture the essence rather than reality of the city . There's so much music in the movie mostly from Mandy Patinkin and especially Madonna as the singer Breathless Mahoney doing her best screen acting to date . Good though excessive performances from Al Pacino who is perfectly cast as the gangster Big Boy looking like a caricaturist impression of a cartoon and splendid Dustin Hoffman as his hoodlum named Mumbles . The make-up used for all of the villains was based directly on how they were drawn by Chester Gould in the original comic strip , the only exception was Big Boy Caprice, whose make-up was designed by Al Pacino himself. People expecting Gothic scenarios and spectacular action of Batman may be disappointed , but moviegoers will be thrilled . Colorful and stylistically superior cinematography by the Italian Vittorio Storaro , shot in a few colors , the main colors in the film are only six that the original comic strip appeared in: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, plus black and white . Jolly and amusing musical score by Danny Elffman .
Other films about this classic comic book character are the followings : ¨Dick Tracy¨ (1947) 15 chapters starred by Ralph Byrd and directed by John English and Ray Taylor ; ¨Dick Tracy Detective¨ (1945) the first feature movie directed by William Berke with Morgan Conway and Jane Greer ; ¨Tracy returns¨ 15 chapter serial directed by William Witney with Ralph Byrd ; ¨Tracy meets gruesome ¨(1947) with Ralph Byrd and Boris Karloff ; ¨Tracy vs Crime Inc¨; ¨Tracy vs Cueball¨(1946) by Gordon Douglas with Morgan Conway and Anne Jeffreys ; ¨Tracy's dilemma¨ by John Rawlins with Ralph Byrd and Jack Lambert , among others .
Sooner or Later It Will Get Its Due
BaronBl00d4 July 2003
This is a marvelous film. Warren Beatty managed to film it just like a comic book MIGHT be brought to film with humourously grotesque and bizarre characters, beautiful colours, and a plot that really only could have come from a comic book. The buildings, set design, make-up, and props are like nothing I have ever seen in film before. Now, never having read the original strip leaves me out as far as making probably very insightful comparisons with this film and the original source. That being said, I think that Beatty, although drastically changing some of the villains in the film to fit smaller roles, tried to keep the spirit of the film inside the comic strip. Does that make sense? Probably not. Anyway, Dick Tracy offers a lot. It is a visual feast with a decent story and some prime time stars doing some things you may not expect from them. Beatty is very good as the lawmen, but much of the supporting cast steals many scenes from him. Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice is sensational as an over-the-top thug out to get every criminal under his control, while he intermittenly quotes folks like Nietchze, Jefferson, and other historical figures. Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles is wonderful - if you can finally figure out that it is him(notice in the scene where a stenographer is taking down what he says((That is Oscar winner Kathy Bates!))). James Caan has a brief yet good scene with Pacino Godfather style and Beatty gives Michael J. Pollard and Estelle Parsons cameos as well(both co-starring with him in Bonnie and Clyde). Then there is Madonna. She tries her best to live up to her name of Breathless and does a VERY credible job at it. And then of course there is the music of Stephen Sondheim, an Oscar winner for this film. It is very good and in some ways more memorable than much of what goes on in the film. Perhaps a song here or there might have been cut, but for the most part the music greatly added to the overall effects created in the film. Is Dick Tracy great? No, but it is a whole lot better than it is generally given credit for. In some ways its innovation must be reviewed again. I think that for its type of film it is one of the best.
Might be the quintessential comic book movie
Mr-Fusion5 February 2015
"Dick Tracy" holds up surprisingly well. And just to get the negative out of the way . . . Ugh, Madonna is awful. Her half-assed line deliveries drag every one of her scenes. In all fairness, I'm not a Sondheim guy, so the songs aren't my cup of tea, either (same problem I had with "Sweeney Todd"), but it's astounding how dead weight she is.
But in spite of that burden, the movie stands as a love letter to the comic strip medium and the period; the artful shot compositions, the gorgeous matte paintings, and my god the chroma saturation. This thing's a visual feast. Warren Beatty created a pretty cool world to visit, populated with coppers, hoods, fedoras, Tommy guns and flying fists. It's simplistic, but that's it's charm. And a lot of love went into this.
It brings back memories of that Summer in 1990 with the marketing-as-pop-art campaign, and it's totally Disney's grab at "Batman" levels of success (even nabbing Danny Elfman, although his score is a high point).
But it's still some good comic book fun.
7/10
But in spite of that burden, the movie stands as a love letter to the comic strip medium and the period; the artful shot compositions, the gorgeous matte paintings, and my god the chroma saturation. This thing's a visual feast. Warren Beatty created a pretty cool world to visit, populated with coppers, hoods, fedoras, Tommy guns and flying fists. It's simplistic, but that's it's charm. And a lot of love went into this.
It brings back memories of that Summer in 1990 with the marketing-as-pop-art campaign, and it's totally Disney's grab at "Batman" levels of success (even nabbing Danny Elfman, although his score is a high point).
But it's still some good comic book fun.
7/10
I wasn't overly impressed
AlsExGal23 November 2019
I think Warren does a good job of portraying the iconic serial detective, and Charlie Korsmo is certainly endearing as "The Kid." It took me a little while (I embarrassingly admit) to realize the character of Big Boy Caprice was played by Mr. Pacino, and almost no time at all to realize that the "Mumbles" character was played by Mr. Hoffman.
I enjoyed all the bright colors and some oversized props (reminds me a little bit of the whole aesthetic of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit...") Decent enough, although Madonna's attempt at nightclub singing really got on my nerves throughout the film, but alas , this is where Warren went wrong.
Warren did ALMOST everything right, in the look, his performance, the casting, the visual over-the-top stylizing for the sake of iconography, and the square jawed 30's comic sensibility, and even sticking his Ishtar buddy Hoffman in for a bit part. But then he had to turn into Director Warren Beatty, who rarely creates an action sequence when an artistic musical montage would carry the scene along so much better...I remember we were all led in by comic-strip action scenes in the trailer, only to find out that those scenes would all be covered over by a slow Madonna torch song. To top it all off the film requires Madonna to ACT, not just throw out one liners like she did in "A League of Their Own".
I enjoyed all the bright colors and some oversized props (reminds me a little bit of the whole aesthetic of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit...") Decent enough, although Madonna's attempt at nightclub singing really got on my nerves throughout the film, but alas , this is where Warren went wrong.
Warren did ALMOST everything right, in the look, his performance, the casting, the visual over-the-top stylizing for the sake of iconography, and the square jawed 30's comic sensibility, and even sticking his Ishtar buddy Hoffman in for a bit part. But then he had to turn into Director Warren Beatty, who rarely creates an action sequence when an artistic musical montage would carry the scene along so much better...I remember we were all led in by comic-strip action scenes in the trailer, only to find out that those scenes would all be covered over by a slow Madonna torch song. To top it all off the film requires Madonna to ACT, not just throw out one liners like she did in "A League of Their Own".
Great look and cast (and DANCERS), but mediocre story
Wuchakk31 August 2016
Released in 1990 and directed by Warren Beatty, "Dick Tracy" is a crime/action/drama based on the comic strip by Chester Gould with Beatty in the eponymous role. Al Pacino and Madonna co-star as Big Boy Caprice and Breathless Mahoney respectively. Glenne Headly is on hand as Tracy's babe, Tess, while Charlie Korsmo plays "Kid," a homeless boy Dick & Tess unofficially adopt.
Gould wrote & drew the strip from 1931-1977 and others have taken over since then, but I've never read it; although I've given it a quick glance in the paper now and then. As such, I'm not the best person to appraise the quality of this movie. But it has a great LOOK, like it's the comic strip come to life. I hear they only used seven colors for the sets, costuming, props and F/X.
The cast is good, even the heavily-panned Madonna, and I did care about Dick & Tess and their relationship, and Kid too, even though he was obnoxious at first. Breathless Mahoney's dancers are one of the highlights; great job on this front.
Unfortunately, the story was only so-so compelling. It amazes me how blockbuster filmmakers will blow all this money to get the "look" of the film perfect and then drop the ball on the most important element – the STORY. That said, it's serviceable and the revelation about The Blank at the end caught me by surprise (aduh).
FINAL SAY: I liked "Dick Tracy" just enough to give it a marginal recommendation due to the highlights noted above. It struck me as a combination of 1984's "The Cotton Club" and 1989's "Batman"; so, if you like those films, you'll probably appreciate this one.
The movie runs 105 minutes and was shot at Universal Studios, Los Angeles.
GRADE: B-
Gould wrote & drew the strip from 1931-1977 and others have taken over since then, but I've never read it; although I've given it a quick glance in the paper now and then. As such, I'm not the best person to appraise the quality of this movie. But it has a great LOOK, like it's the comic strip come to life. I hear they only used seven colors for the sets, costuming, props and F/X.
The cast is good, even the heavily-panned Madonna, and I did care about Dick & Tess and their relationship, and Kid too, even though he was obnoxious at first. Breathless Mahoney's dancers are one of the highlights; great job on this front.
Unfortunately, the story was only so-so compelling. It amazes me how blockbuster filmmakers will blow all this money to get the "look" of the film perfect and then drop the ball on the most important element – the STORY. That said, it's serviceable and the revelation about The Blank at the end caught me by surprise (aduh).
FINAL SAY: I liked "Dick Tracy" just enough to give it a marginal recommendation due to the highlights noted above. It struck me as a combination of 1984's "The Cotton Club" and 1989's "Batman"; so, if you like those films, you'll probably appreciate this one.
The movie runs 105 minutes and was shot at Universal Studios, Los Angeles.
GRADE: B-
looks good, but lacks a screenplay
mjneu5913 November 2010
On its own merits (minus the impressive promotional smokescreen) the latest appearance of Chester Gould's fabled gumshoe is an empty but otherwise innocent comic strip adventure. The film is difficult to dislike, but it's even more difficult to overlook the gaping hole where its title character should be. After making every villain a lively cartoon caricature, director/star Warren Beatty either forgot or (out of vanity?) declined to provide himself with comparable make-up to match his character's familiar, square-jawed profile. The comic book design is certainly dazzling, with its artificial sets and primary colors (all "eight" of them, according to Beatty), but without a story to hold it all together the novelty wears thin quickly. A successful film needs more than just clever make-up and production design, but Dick Tracy offers nothing else of interest; the monotonous, jury-rigged plot moves back and forth without progressing anywhere, and the presence of Madonna is an instant liability. Needless to say, it's a far cry from 'Bonnie and Clyde'.
Incredible Colors, Incredible Cast
ccthemovieman-121 March 2006
This is amazing-looking movie with the whole thing done in just six or seven colors. When it came out over 15 years ago, it stunned audiences with its color scheme, being so different from anything else that had ever been put on film. Those colors, for me at least, make this an absolutely fascinating film to watch. There are literally thousands of scenes I wish could freeze and somehow convert them to a painting to study for their artwork.
The characters and the story don't match up to the greatness of the photography, but they are all over-the-top, especially the villains. The famous actors who played them here must have a had a lot of fun on the set playing "Flatop," "Pruneface," "Lips," "Mumbles," etc.
Meanwhile, Warren Beatty and Gleanne Hedley are good as Dick Tracey and girlfriend Tess Truehart, and she's as sweet and soft as her name. Another good addition is Charlie Korsmo as the delinquent young boy Dick and Tess take under their wing. The colorful other characters are played by Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, William Forysthe, Paul Sorvino, Mandy Patinkin, Madona and other names you know but are too numerous to list here. Check the full credits on the main page and you'll amazed.
The only negatives I found were Pacino's voice which grates on you after awhile, Madonna's off-key singing voice and the fact that the film would have been better trimmed about 10 minutes. Those "faults" are all minor because overall, this is a fun movie....a cartoon strip coming to life in an incredibly-colorful fashion.....like nothing you have ever seen.
The characters and the story don't match up to the greatness of the photography, but they are all over-the-top, especially the villains. The famous actors who played them here must have a had a lot of fun on the set playing "Flatop," "Pruneface," "Lips," "Mumbles," etc.
Meanwhile, Warren Beatty and Gleanne Hedley are good as Dick Tracey and girlfriend Tess Truehart, and she's as sweet and soft as her name. Another good addition is Charlie Korsmo as the delinquent young boy Dick and Tess take under their wing. The colorful other characters are played by Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, William Forysthe, Paul Sorvino, Mandy Patinkin, Madona and other names you know but are too numerous to list here. Check the full credits on the main page and you'll amazed.
The only negatives I found were Pacino's voice which grates on you after awhile, Madonna's off-key singing voice and the fact that the film would have been better trimmed about 10 minutes. Those "faults" are all minor because overall, this is a fun movie....a cartoon strip coming to life in an incredibly-colorful fashion.....like nothing you have ever seen.
Beatty is great as usual
haploiskevin24 February 2001
Beatty is a fantastic actor and has practised skill with art direction, characterization, and theme identification. Dick Tracy is a beautifully made film, with many fine performances (some rather small) by familiar actors. The characters of this film bring about a strong nostalgia for a time of purer ideals... even for those of us who have never known such a time. You just can't beat Dick Tracy for upstanding street hero.
A noble failure...
moonspinner5519 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Director Warren Beatty's intention to turn Chester Gould's famous comic strip into a live-action cartoon (with Beatty himself cast in the lead as the square-jawed detective) had sweet overtures of innocent nostalgia--quite unusual and intriguing coming from Warren Beatty. Unfortunately, the picture is requisite ham, fun for awhile but eventually tiring. Dick Tracy attempts to bring down mobster Big Boy Caprice, aided by loving Tess Trueheart but tripped up by evil Breathless Mahoney. For the first half-hour or so, the Oscar-winning art direction and set design are wonderful to absorb but, as the plot creaks along predictably (with no real sting in the writing), things begin to congeal. Al Pacino got a surprise Supporting Oscar nomination as bad boy Caprice, and Madonna (who is mostly used as a decorative prop) gets to sing Stephen Sondheim's "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)", which copped the award for Best Original Song. Lots of heart, thanks to Beatty--who was dedicated to his vision--but the picture is too cool and calculated. It lacks heat. *1/2 from ****
Beautiful
utgard1411 November 2013
Labor of love for star and director Warren Beatty, Dick Tracy was a film I hated when it first came out. I was a kid and stupid, only caring about what's cool. What was cool then (and sadly still is) was "dark and gritty" heroes like Batman. Dick Tracy was considered corny and lame. When I first watched it I thought it was a kids' movie and I was at that age where anything like that I hated. Happily, I feel much differently about the film now that I'm older.
Dick Tracy is a live-action cartoon, with eye-popping visuals decked out in bright primary colors. It's a beautiful film to behold. Everyone involved in the stylized look of this movie should be proud. The sets, the lighting, the matte paintings, the makeup and effects are all superior to any CGI crap we get today. Real work and passion went into this and it shows.
The cast is great. Beatty is criticized by many for not being the right fit for Tracy or for being too old. While he's not a perfect representation of the character, I feel he does quite well and his age never occurred to me while watching it. Madonna gives easily her best performance in this movie. That's meant slightly as a slam I guess, as most of her other work is very weak. But it's also meant as a compliment. Here she plays to her strengths: sex appeal and "oomph." Her double entendres and skin-tight dresses make Breathless Mahoney a very memorable character. There's also some fine support from Glenne Headley and Charlie Korsmo. And who can forget the villains! Chester Gould's distinctive-looking villains come to life thanks to superb makeup, played in many cases by uncredited stars. The leader of the bunch is Big Boy Caprice, played by the wonderfully over-the-top Al Pacino. Pacino was having a lot of fun with the role and it shows.
My only real complaint lies in the music. Not the Stephen Sondheim songs -- they're great. But the Danny Elfman musical score is way too similar to the one he did for Batman the year before. It's very lazy and doesn't seem to fit the action of the film. Forget what you've read from naysayers about this movie and judge it for yourself. It's a fun movie with exceptional visuals and colorful ambiance.
Dick Tracy is a live-action cartoon, with eye-popping visuals decked out in bright primary colors. It's a beautiful film to behold. Everyone involved in the stylized look of this movie should be proud. The sets, the lighting, the matte paintings, the makeup and effects are all superior to any CGI crap we get today. Real work and passion went into this and it shows.
The cast is great. Beatty is criticized by many for not being the right fit for Tracy or for being too old. While he's not a perfect representation of the character, I feel he does quite well and his age never occurred to me while watching it. Madonna gives easily her best performance in this movie. That's meant slightly as a slam I guess, as most of her other work is very weak. But it's also meant as a compliment. Here she plays to her strengths: sex appeal and "oomph." Her double entendres and skin-tight dresses make Breathless Mahoney a very memorable character. There's also some fine support from Glenne Headley and Charlie Korsmo. And who can forget the villains! Chester Gould's distinctive-looking villains come to life thanks to superb makeup, played in many cases by uncredited stars. The leader of the bunch is Big Boy Caprice, played by the wonderfully over-the-top Al Pacino. Pacino was having a lot of fun with the role and it shows.
My only real complaint lies in the music. Not the Stephen Sondheim songs -- they're great. But the Danny Elfman musical score is way too similar to the one he did for Batman the year before. It's very lazy and doesn't seem to fit the action of the film. Forget what you've read from naysayers about this movie and judge it for yourself. It's a fun movie with exceptional visuals and colorful ambiance.
DICK - THAT'S AN INTERESTING NAME
Sigmund_Schadenfreude20 November 2022
Beatty directs this like a man who hasn't watched a movie in more than a decade
You know that great quality movies like Raiders and Back to the Future have, where the action of one scene rolls effortlessly into the next, propelling the movie forward and building narrative momentum?
Dick Tracy doesn't have that
Beatty will escape an uninvolving action scene by leaping onto a speeding car, then the next scene will be him cooking breakfast
That kind of transition's been part of movie editing since Eisenstein was in short pants, but because the previous scenes never pay off, the effect is desultory
The whole movie's like that - Pacino's villain outlines a scheme to unite the city's criminals with himself as their leader, but all that amounts to is a scene where he coaches a chorus line
There's a central spine to the movie, a storyline about whether the bachelor hero will settle down to family life - which seems like the kind of thing a canny script writer does when pitching a movie to flatter and appeal directly to the vanity of an ageing shagger like Beatty
But the film has less interest in the action and the main plot than Madonna's moll has in the oyster-slurping sugar daddy Pacino takes off her hands by burying him in concrete
Beatty would rather be making Reds, and it shows
Thanks to Vittorio Storarro's incredibly cinematography and fantastic production and costume design, the movie does actually have a lot to recommend it
The idea of replicating the four-colour printing process of newspaper strips is inspired, abandoning naturalism in favour of a vibrant palette that transforms ordinary scenes into visual feasts
There's one scene of Beatty stepping out of a car where someone's just thrown down a bucket of lurid yellow dye to represent a puddle that transforms something mundane into a spectacle
The film looks extraordinary, developing a unique aesthetic that would have provided a template for how big budget spectacles could have looked in the nineties if CG hadn't come along and disrupted the craft of physical movie making
The effect achieved is actually quite similar to what contemporary films like Dunkirk achieve by pushing a single colour in the grading process, so I suppose Storarro's aesthetic prophesised the future of film making after all
The film's use of prosthetics deserves special attention, too, transforming minor characters, like Flat Top, into the stars of this movie. Al Pacino's latex enhancement is the most subtle as well as the most convincing, making him look like a hybrid of Richard Kiel and Sylvester Stallone
Pacino's performance deserves a mention. It's a commonplace that the villains of this sort of movie is the best role, but Pacino takes what he's given and aims for the back of the stands
His ranting, deformed Big Boy Caprice is a ball of energy that has the inexhaustible manic force of Quilp from The Old Curiosity Shop. The script gives him one entertaining rhetorical quirk, of misattributing and misquoting figures from history, which is fun for anyone paying attention
Pacino's serving the same function here as Nicholson in the previous year's Batman - an Oscar winner having fun delivering an over-the-top villain performance and lending the production some kudos
Tim Burton's Batman movie obviously played a huge part in this film being given the green light, and if that wasn't obvious from Danny Elfman being hired to provide the score then the film's thirties setting hammers that home
Films like Flash Gordon and Richard Donner's Superman went a weird never-when feel, where everything was filmed in the real world but felt like thirties origins of the source material
Only John Huston's Annie adopted the comic strip's temporal setting. Burton's Batman was ostensibly set in the modern day, but everyone except Kim Basinger's dressed like they're in It's a Wonderful Life.
If Batman hadn't already proven that retro aesthetic worked with modern audiences, I'm sure Beatty would have updated the timeline a little or gone for a fudge similar to Superman.
You know that great quality movies like Raiders and Back to the Future have, where the action of one scene rolls effortlessly into the next, propelling the movie forward and building narrative momentum?
Dick Tracy doesn't have that
Beatty will escape an uninvolving action scene by leaping onto a speeding car, then the next scene will be him cooking breakfast
That kind of transition's been part of movie editing since Eisenstein was in short pants, but because the previous scenes never pay off, the effect is desultory
The whole movie's like that - Pacino's villain outlines a scheme to unite the city's criminals with himself as their leader, but all that amounts to is a scene where he coaches a chorus line
There's a central spine to the movie, a storyline about whether the bachelor hero will settle down to family life - which seems like the kind of thing a canny script writer does when pitching a movie to flatter and appeal directly to the vanity of an ageing shagger like Beatty
But the film has less interest in the action and the main plot than Madonna's moll has in the oyster-slurping sugar daddy Pacino takes off her hands by burying him in concrete
Beatty would rather be making Reds, and it shows
Thanks to Vittorio Storarro's incredibly cinematography and fantastic production and costume design, the movie does actually have a lot to recommend it
The idea of replicating the four-colour printing process of newspaper strips is inspired, abandoning naturalism in favour of a vibrant palette that transforms ordinary scenes into visual feasts
There's one scene of Beatty stepping out of a car where someone's just thrown down a bucket of lurid yellow dye to represent a puddle that transforms something mundane into a spectacle
The film looks extraordinary, developing a unique aesthetic that would have provided a template for how big budget spectacles could have looked in the nineties if CG hadn't come along and disrupted the craft of physical movie making
The effect achieved is actually quite similar to what contemporary films like Dunkirk achieve by pushing a single colour in the grading process, so I suppose Storarro's aesthetic prophesised the future of film making after all
The film's use of prosthetics deserves special attention, too, transforming minor characters, like Flat Top, into the stars of this movie. Al Pacino's latex enhancement is the most subtle as well as the most convincing, making him look like a hybrid of Richard Kiel and Sylvester Stallone
Pacino's performance deserves a mention. It's a commonplace that the villains of this sort of movie is the best role, but Pacino takes what he's given and aims for the back of the stands
His ranting, deformed Big Boy Caprice is a ball of energy that has the inexhaustible manic force of Quilp from The Old Curiosity Shop. The script gives him one entertaining rhetorical quirk, of misattributing and misquoting figures from history, which is fun for anyone paying attention
Pacino's serving the same function here as Nicholson in the previous year's Batman - an Oscar winner having fun delivering an over-the-top villain performance and lending the production some kudos
Tim Burton's Batman movie obviously played a huge part in this film being given the green light, and if that wasn't obvious from Danny Elfman being hired to provide the score then the film's thirties setting hammers that home
Films like Flash Gordon and Richard Donner's Superman went a weird never-when feel, where everything was filmed in the real world but felt like thirties origins of the source material
Only John Huston's Annie adopted the comic strip's temporal setting. Burton's Batman was ostensibly set in the modern day, but everyone except Kim Basinger's dressed like they're in It's a Wonderful Life.
If Batman hadn't already proven that retro aesthetic worked with modern audiences, I'm sure Beatty would have updated the timeline a little or gone for a fudge similar to Superman.
A Confused Slight to Moviegoers Young and Old
drqshadow-reviews26 January 2012
A boldly literal interpretation of what was, at the time, sixty-year-old source material, Dick Tracy was dated before it had even commenced filming. In today's world, it's a painful reminder of what happens when badly misread cultural trends, aging showbiz producers and a full committee of writers collide on-screen. Visually it's a day-glow disaster, combining recklessly outlandish wardrobe, distractingly obvious matte-painting backdrops, startlingly grotesque makeup effects and an odd mix of kids' primary colors with ink-black noir lighting. The cast is so stale, weak and one-dimensional throughout that not even an A-list staff of Hollywood's elite is able to play life preserver: Dustin Hoffman, James Caan and Al Pacino are lost amidst the flood of stilted dialog, Madonna sleepwalks through a rotten performance as, basically, herself, and Warren Beatty is so squeaky clean and unrelentingly straightforward in the leading role that it almost works on a purely satirical level. Clearly someone, somewhere, saw the runaway success of Tim Burton's Batman around the corner and chose to grant a similar treatment to a character they recalled from the funny pages of their own youth, without stopping to consider if Tracy's story was as relevant and trans-generational as Bruce Wayne's. The splashy colors and simple, hackneyed plot make it a no-sell to adults, while the abundance of sex and violence also makes it tough to buy as a kid's movie. Genuinely awful from start to finish, I had to watch in three installments because it kept putting me to sleep.
Impressive, enjoyable comic book movie (spoilers)
alainenglish26 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Released in 1990, Warren Beatty's take on a popular one-time comic book detective is at once successful and distinctive. It doesn't have the preachy Americo-centric moralism of the "Superman" movies, neither does it possess the dark and tragic depths of the early "Batman" films. "Dick Tracy" is distinctive as it just tries to be what it is: a literal live action comic strip. In this the cops headed up by a straight-laced detective (and his plucky kid sidekick) are the heroes, with a horde of ugly, scheming gangsters as the villains.
In a town simply named The City, Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) is an honest but reckless detective who divides his time between chasing villains and going out with his girlfriend Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly). He finds himself a new sidekick in the shape of the Kid (Charlie Korsmo), a homeless young thief he pulls off the streets. Tracy will need all the help he can get, as his arch-nemesis Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) is on the rise. He's just rubbed out his main rival Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino), taken over his club and stolen his girlfriend, singer Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). Now he's preparing for a rampage that will ensure him complete control of The City.....
Take the story out of the movie and it would make a fine period melodrama. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep it interesting for the bulk of it's two-hour running length. The script mixes a healthy stock of comic book characters (hard-nosed cop, honest sweetheart, streetwise kid, mean ugly gangster and attractive but sleazy moll) and has the standard surprise ending. This is combined with a show of action scenes (featuring cement baths, punch-ups and tommy gun shoot-outs) but in keeping with the pictures lighthearted tone, there is nothing gory or explicit.
The setting and technical aspect is especially good in this film. The use of primary colours in both the backdrops, sets and costumes is brilliant and makes the whole film really come alive. Enhancing this is a wonderful music score, put to good use in both the action scenes and the quieter, more sentimental moments. Even Madonna's songs fit in well with the picture, as they're cleverly used in ways that bring the story forward and add irony to key scenes.
The performances are for the most part excellent. Warren Beatty is on form as eponymous detective and he works well in tangent with Charlie Korsmo as The Kid, who is both his partner and surrogate son. If the film has a recurring weakness, it's in the lack of chemistry between him and leading lady Glenne Headly. There is certainly more discernible tension in scenes between him and Madonna, who turns in a good performance as the scheming, gangster's moll. She is certainly no Oscar-winner, but neither is she the wooden disaster so many make her out to be.
The cast of prosthetics-clad gangsters reads like a "Who's Who" of vintage character actors: Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, William Forsythe, James Tolkan, etc. The outstanding performance here, though, is Al Pacino as Big Boy. Usually known for his more serious portrayal of villains in films like "The Godfather" and "Dog Day Afternoon" it is a delight watching him go gleefully over the top here. Big Boy is deluded, cruel and arrogant and makes a worthy adversary for Tracy.
Not one of the most well-known comic book films going around, but it is still a joy to watch.
In a town simply named The City, Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) is an honest but reckless detective who divides his time between chasing villains and going out with his girlfriend Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly). He finds himself a new sidekick in the shape of the Kid (Charlie Korsmo), a homeless young thief he pulls off the streets. Tracy will need all the help he can get, as his arch-nemesis Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) is on the rise. He's just rubbed out his main rival Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino), taken over his club and stolen his girlfriend, singer Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). Now he's preparing for a rampage that will ensure him complete control of The City.....
Take the story out of the movie and it would make a fine period melodrama. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep it interesting for the bulk of it's two-hour running length. The script mixes a healthy stock of comic book characters (hard-nosed cop, honest sweetheart, streetwise kid, mean ugly gangster and attractive but sleazy moll) and has the standard surprise ending. This is combined with a show of action scenes (featuring cement baths, punch-ups and tommy gun shoot-outs) but in keeping with the pictures lighthearted tone, there is nothing gory or explicit.
The setting and technical aspect is especially good in this film. The use of primary colours in both the backdrops, sets and costumes is brilliant and makes the whole film really come alive. Enhancing this is a wonderful music score, put to good use in both the action scenes and the quieter, more sentimental moments. Even Madonna's songs fit in well with the picture, as they're cleverly used in ways that bring the story forward and add irony to key scenes.
The performances are for the most part excellent. Warren Beatty is on form as eponymous detective and he works well in tangent with Charlie Korsmo as The Kid, who is both his partner and surrogate son. If the film has a recurring weakness, it's in the lack of chemistry between him and leading lady Glenne Headly. There is certainly more discernible tension in scenes between him and Madonna, who turns in a good performance as the scheming, gangster's moll. She is certainly no Oscar-winner, but neither is she the wooden disaster so many make her out to be.
The cast of prosthetics-clad gangsters reads like a "Who's Who" of vintage character actors: Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, William Forsythe, James Tolkan, etc. The outstanding performance here, though, is Al Pacino as Big Boy. Usually known for his more serious portrayal of villains in films like "The Godfather" and "Dog Day Afternoon" it is a delight watching him go gleefully over the top here. Big Boy is deluded, cruel and arrogant and makes a worthy adversary for Tracy.
Not one of the most well-known comic book films going around, but it is still a joy to watch.
Arresting entertainment
Fluke_Skywalker28 July 2015
Warren Beatty's 'Dick Tracy' is high on star power and color, and low on plot and logic. Thankfully the former overwhelms the latter to the point that it doesn't matter. Much. Unlike the previous year's game changing 'Batman', 'Dick Tracy' embraces its comic roots and attempts to create the strip come to life, and it succeeds for the most part. In other ways it blatantly mimics Tim Burton's blockbuster, right down to its clock tower ending and Danny Elfman score.
In the end I was very surprised that I enjoyed this much more in 2015 as a 41 year old than in 1990 as a 16 year old. Oh, and Madonna. Breathless indeed.
In the end I was very surprised that I enjoyed this much more in 2015 as a 41 year old than in 1990 as a 16 year old. Oh, and Madonna. Breathless indeed.
Entertaining.
Hurdy_Gurdy_Man27 April 2013
Warren Beatty directs and stars in the first colour live-action adaptation of the iconic comic strip. Most characters find a place in the film, some of the villains having substantial amount of screen time roles like Big Boy Caprice, Flattop, Itchy and Pruneface, while some others like Little Face and Johnny Ramm make fleeting appearances. The cast is solid all around - Beatty, Pacino, Madonna, Glen Headly, Dustin Hoffman, William Forsythe, R.G. Armstrong, Charles Durning, Seymour Cassel, Mandy Patinkin, Paul Sorvino and Dick van Dyke. James Caan shows up in a great cameo as a bitter rival of Pacino's, plus Estelle Parsons is there as well and I was surprised to see Kathy Bates in a blink-and-miss bit part.
Many people dislike this one because it is 'cheesy'. I will admit that its sense of perfect good against complete evil is old-fashioned but it is based on a comic strip which originated in the crime-ridden 1930s, after all. For what it is, it is decent entertainment. The plot starts to come unravelled in the third act, since the storyline with "The Blank" and the twist about his identity makes little sense. A lot of footage Beatty had shot could not find its way in the theatres, maybe it contributed towards making the twist clearer. If the footage exists I would like to see a Director's cut some time. The film also features some excellent montages mostly set to songs.
Beatty is alright in the role, a bit stiff, but his character is of a one-dimensional good guy so I guess he couldn't do much. Charlie Korsmo does a decent job as well, there is a very nice emotional scene with both of them towards the climax, which was a surprising change from the tongue-in-cheek mood of the film till that point. Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice has the best role in the film, and he pantomimes his way through it in truly theatrical style. He is like a powder keg and goes completely bonkers in the end in spectacular fashion. Dustin Hoffman is also hilarious as Mumbles, I wish there were more scenes with him, his role in Big Boy's gang is not defined at all. The best appeal the film boasts of is its visual aesthetic, high on bright primary colours, impeccably framed by the Italian legend Vittorio Storaro. Madonna's poor performance and the weird final twist are the only major drawbacks.
Many people dislike this one because it is 'cheesy'. I will admit that its sense of perfect good against complete evil is old-fashioned but it is based on a comic strip which originated in the crime-ridden 1930s, after all. For what it is, it is decent entertainment. The plot starts to come unravelled in the third act, since the storyline with "The Blank" and the twist about his identity makes little sense. A lot of footage Beatty had shot could not find its way in the theatres, maybe it contributed towards making the twist clearer. If the footage exists I would like to see a Director's cut some time. The film also features some excellent montages mostly set to songs.
Beatty is alright in the role, a bit stiff, but his character is of a one-dimensional good guy so I guess he couldn't do much. Charlie Korsmo does a decent job as well, there is a very nice emotional scene with both of them towards the climax, which was a surprising change from the tongue-in-cheek mood of the film till that point. Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice has the best role in the film, and he pantomimes his way through it in truly theatrical style. He is like a powder keg and goes completely bonkers in the end in spectacular fashion. Dustin Hoffman is also hilarious as Mumbles, I wish there were more scenes with him, his role in Big Boy's gang is not defined at all. The best appeal the film boasts of is its visual aesthetic, high on bright primary colours, impeccably framed by the Italian legend Vittorio Storaro. Madonna's poor performance and the weird final twist are the only major drawbacks.
Not deserving the obscurity it has
preppy-37 June 2003
This came out with big fanfare in 1990---and disappeared without a trace. That's too bad...it's no masterpiece but it's not a disaster either.
The plot is simple--Dick Tracys' (Warren Beatty) vast array of enemies all gang up under Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) to kill Tracy and take over the city. Along for the ride is Breathless Mahoney (Madonna) who loves Tracy. And whose side is the mysterious Blank on?
The story is very simple (but then Tracy IS a comic strip) but that doesn't really matter. There are stunning sets and incredible art direction (an Academy Award winner). Everything looks like a comic book mixed with live action and filmed in blazing primary colors (red, blue, green, yellow). There's so much to look at you can forgive the simplistic plot.
Sadly there are other problems. Way too many villains--they try and fit in all of Tracys' villains from the comic strip. There are too many and it amounts to overkill. Beatty is pretty bad as Tracy--stonefaced and not projecting any emotion or feeling--not good. Madonna is--of course--terrible as Breathless (but she DOES look good in those dresses and really belts out the songs). There are many great actors buried under tons of grotesque makeup (another Academy Award winner) giving their worst performances. I don't blame them--who can act with tons of makeup on your face?
But there are still plenty of good things--a great, bombastic score by Danny Elfman perfectly fitting the settings; Glenne Headly gives a very good performance as Tess Trueheart; Al Pacino goes WAY over the top (and is hysterically funny) as Big Boy; there's the Academy Award winning Best Song (I Always Get My Man) and, again, the stunning settings.
This is not a faithful adaptation of the comic strip--the comic strip was very violent and occasionally banned because of it. This is a family friendly version of it. The shootings are all bloodless and quick.
It's hard to understand why this bombed and disappeared so quickly. Maybe it will be rediscovered someday.
No great shakes but worth seeing.
The plot is simple--Dick Tracys' (Warren Beatty) vast array of enemies all gang up under Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) to kill Tracy and take over the city. Along for the ride is Breathless Mahoney (Madonna) who loves Tracy. And whose side is the mysterious Blank on?
The story is very simple (but then Tracy IS a comic strip) but that doesn't really matter. There are stunning sets and incredible art direction (an Academy Award winner). Everything looks like a comic book mixed with live action and filmed in blazing primary colors (red, blue, green, yellow). There's so much to look at you can forgive the simplistic plot.
Sadly there are other problems. Way too many villains--they try and fit in all of Tracys' villains from the comic strip. There are too many and it amounts to overkill. Beatty is pretty bad as Tracy--stonefaced and not projecting any emotion or feeling--not good. Madonna is--of course--terrible as Breathless (but she DOES look good in those dresses and really belts out the songs). There are many great actors buried under tons of grotesque makeup (another Academy Award winner) giving their worst performances. I don't blame them--who can act with tons of makeup on your face?
But there are still plenty of good things--a great, bombastic score by Danny Elfman perfectly fitting the settings; Glenne Headly gives a very good performance as Tess Trueheart; Al Pacino goes WAY over the top (and is hysterically funny) as Big Boy; there's the Academy Award winning Best Song (I Always Get My Man) and, again, the stunning settings.
This is not a faithful adaptation of the comic strip--the comic strip was very violent and occasionally banned because of it. This is a family friendly version of it. The shootings are all bloodless and quick.
It's hard to understand why this bombed and disappeared so quickly. Maybe it will be rediscovered someday.
No great shakes but worth seeing.
A Big Fat Dud
evanston_dad17 October 2008
"Dick Tracy" is an example of what happens to a movie when it's over produced and over marketed. At the time of its release, it was touted as THE big movie of the year, and it built up expectations it couldn't possibly meet. Granted, it's not a very good movie anyway, so even with lower expectations it still would likely have bombed, but I think it seemed worse than it was because people were expecting so much.
The production and costume design are fun, mimicking the look and style of the comic book series. Nothing else is notable, least of all the acting, which with a cast that includes Warren Beatty and Al Pacino, should tell you something right there. They should have taken the money they spent on sets and cameos for big stars and hired better writers.
Grade: C
The production and costume design are fun, mimicking the look and style of the comic book series. Nothing else is notable, least of all the acting, which with a cast that includes Warren Beatty and Al Pacino, should tell you something right there. They should have taken the money they spent on sets and cameos for big stars and hired better writers.
Grade: C
Why Wait for the Sunday Funnies Section?
pamkirkliz12 October 2003
"Dick Tracy" is one of our family's favorites -- the actors are great -- the art direction is exceptional -- the music is magic. It's not supposed to be "To Kill A Mockingbird" -- it's a fun experience.
Stephen Sondhemim's songs are stellar: "Back in Business" is energetic, "Sooner or Later" is just right, "What Can You Lose" is haunting -- even tunes like "Live Alone and Like It" add to the story
Got to love the giddily over-the-top performances of Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Glenn Headly, Charlie Korsmo, Mandy Patinkin, James Caan, Dick Van Dyke, supporting villains... The list is far too long. And, yes -- even Madonna and Warren Beatty are awesome. Written with a smile a minute (how many times have we looked at each other and said, "Wait a minute -- I'm having a thought -- it's gone!"?).
However, one of most telling things about in this film is that everyone involved seems to be having a good time -- and that above all adds to the enjoyment for the viewer. So, if you haven't already, why not give "Dick Tracy" a chance -- accept it for what it is -- a Sunday comic strip brought to life -- and in a wonderful way!!
Stephen Sondhemim's songs are stellar: "Back in Business" is energetic, "Sooner or Later" is just right, "What Can You Lose" is haunting -- even tunes like "Live Alone and Like It" add to the story
Got to love the giddily over-the-top performances of Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Glenn Headly, Charlie Korsmo, Mandy Patinkin, James Caan, Dick Van Dyke, supporting villains... The list is far too long. And, yes -- even Madonna and Warren Beatty are awesome. Written with a smile a minute (how many times have we looked at each other and said, "Wait a minute -- I'm having a thought -- it's gone!"?).
However, one of most telling things about in this film is that everyone involved seems to be having a good time -- and that above all adds to the enjoyment for the viewer. So, if you haven't already, why not give "Dick Tracy" a chance -- accept it for what it is -- a Sunday comic strip brought to life -- and in a wonderful way!!
This dick movie is very limp. It's alright, but could had been bigger & better. It's need more balls.
ironhorse_iv11 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Calling Dick Tracy, a bad movie is an overstatement. As a kid of the 1990s, it was alright for the most part as a comic book film noir movie. Directed by Warren Beatty, and produced by Disney under their Touchstone Pictures banner, the movie, adapted the Chester Gould's relatively simple crime-drama comic strip and reimagined it as a complex big-budget extravaganza with big-name actors, colorful costumes, special effects and plenty of music. The movie tells the story of Detective Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) who must save his beloved city, from up-and-coming gang boss in Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) who unites all Dick Tracy's rivals into a citywide gangland coalition. Now Tracy's only hope in foiling Big Boy's schemes lies with nightclub singer Breathless Mahoney (Madonna), who is prepared to help the detective for a price that Tracy cannot delivered. Can Dick Tracy take down Big Boy Caprice's united mob or will Dick Tracy, be swimming with the fishes, by the end? Watch it to find out. Without spoiling too much of the film. The film feels like a rip-off of 1989's Batman in its look, music, and plot. If that wasn't all, the movie story is not the greatest. It felt like a series of comic strips, put into one. It often felt very disjointed and things move in a nearly out of place motion. It gets ready confusing. A lot of things don't make sense like the twist toward the end. The story is often riddled with huge plot-holes as if shot with a tommy gun. The movie pacing move as fast as paint dries with music acts, action and exposition scenes that wasn't really needed. It's snail pace. Most of the main performances seem dull and phoned in. Supporting actors like Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles, and Dick Van Dyle as the D.A get way under-looked. It was just a huge mess. Warren Beatty as Dick Tracy is mediocre. One of the biggest problems is that Dick Tracy just isn't an interesting character. Warren Beatty certainly doesn't put much effort into making him a compelling character. It was one of his last big main roles before retired in the early 2000s. Glenne Headley as his girlfriend, Tess Trueheart is forgettable. Sean Young claims she was forced out of the role of Tess Truehart after rebuffing sexual advances from Beatty. I think Sean Young would had made the movie, ever worse. She's not a favor of mine. Charlie Korsmo as the nameless "Kid" that Dick Tracy adopt was too annoying to care about. Al Pacino might be a little over the top silly, to be taken seriously as a threat. He never once, seem menacing. I was deeply surprised he was nominated for an Academy Award for this role that year. I thought, it was one of his worst performance, ever. Madonna, who was then in a relationship with Beatty, pursued the part of Breathless Mahoney, but offered to work for scale to avoid any appearance of nepotism, because they were in a relationship at the time. I guess Madonna really wanted Beatty's dick. Surprising Madonna's acting is probably the best of all. Still, her acting wasn't much of a stretch. She was indeed sexy as the femme fatale lounge singer. Most of the music, she does in the film, works. The song, 'Sooner or Later' by Stephen Sondheim and sung by Madonna is great sexy lounge music. Glad, it won Best Original Song at the Oscars that year. The song "more' doesn't deserve any awards. It sounds like a Marilyn Monroe 'Diamond are a girl's best friend' rip off song. It's cut to pieces anyways with the horrible editing. It's annoying smug. While, Madonna didn't do these songs, 'Back in Business' & "Live alone and like it' were pretty catchy. Still, I don't know why 'Live alone and like it' was put in a montage of Dick Tracy's doing family things. That was a bit weird. Once again, bad editing ruin that song, as well. While, not feature in the film, 'Vogue' was indeed part of the Dick Tracy soundtrack. Vogue would become one of Madonna's greatest hits of all time. Danny Elfman theme song was disappointing. I really wanted more for him. One of the striking features of the film was its attempt to replicate, in live action, the flat colors and limited palette of the pulp magazine atmosphere. It did delivered great in the old school effects. The Matte painting was visually beautiful. One drawback to that, you can't move the camera. I guess the static camera is obviously a tribute to the panels of a comic book, but it kinda looks lazy. The makeup is pretty cool. I love seeing the many distort faces of the criminals. Still, some of them, look a bit too fake looking. Holy crap, for a PG film, you have a lot of sexual innuendos. Breathless in a sheer nightdress, wearing barely anything at all is very scandalous. Lots of see-through nipples. Not only the sex, but the violence. It's somewhat very graphic for a kid's movie. Lots of people getting mow down by Tommy Guns. While, the film was a hit. However, a combination of underperforming and the overtone cost, cause a sequel to never be made. Disney had hoped Dick Tracy would launch a successful franchise, like the Indiana Jones series, but sadly decades-long battle over the rights between Beatty and the Tribune Co. put any immediate follow-ups to the long run. So Dick Tracy 2 is not on his way, anytime soon. Overall: This movie isn't perfect, but it's not the worst. This surrealistic comic book need a comeback, and I hope it does. It does need it.
Stylistically a vibrant colorful take on The Untouchables by way of Robert Altman's Popeye, but fails to leave an impression.
IonicBreezeMachine15 December 2020
Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) is a tough no nonsense police detective who's the bane of the city's criminal underworld. Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice (Al Pacino) makes his moves to consolidate power and build a criminal empire, but Tracy will stop at nothing to bring him down.
Released in 1990 to mildly positive reviews and decent box office (though allegedly under performing depending on the reporting agency) Dick Tracy was often compared to the previous Summer's superhero blockbuster Batman. While there are certain superficial similarities to the Burton helmed production, the fact that the two films were in production roughly around the same time hints more at coincidence.
The movie spiritually speaking has much more in common with Brian de Palma's The Untouchables adaptation than 1989's Batman. From the straight arrow protagonist to the over the top villain played by an actor from The Godfather (Al Pacino being this movie Robert de Niro) the movie is clearly trying to ape that particular framework while filtering it through the lens of a comic book art style. The movie is absolutely gorgeous to look at. From the make up, to the costumes, to the city itself, the movie takes a very stylized approach to its material with a color pallet inspired by the aesthetics of 1930s newspaper comic strips and a noticeable absence of earthy or industrial colors that give the sets a uniquely artificial look that's visual interesting. In many ways its usage of make up and set design is reminiscent of Robert Altman's usage when he made his adaptation of Popeye in 1980. But unfortunately the movie beneath its beautiful costumes, sets, and makeup is hollow and lacking in substance.
The biggest issue with Dick Tracy is that despite an over the top design, everything is played very flatly (with the exception of one or two characters) Dick Tracy is a standard no nonsense cop (sort of Elliot Ness run through a funhouse mirror of exaggeration of his "untouchable" moniker), he has a standard love interest and a standard kid sidekick and none of the main characters in this movie feel memorable or engaging. Al Pacino appears to be having fun at least as the villain Big Boy, but a little of him goes a long way and his performance loses its novelty quickly (the fact Pacino got an Oscar nomination for this performance feels almost like a joke), Madonna is decent playing an exaggerated femme fatale, Breathless Mahoney, but like all the other roles in the movie it's a flat role that's only barely elevated by its performance.
Dick Tracy isn't a bad movie and it clearly has ambition and craft at work, but it's also in the shadow of other comic book movies. It doesn't have the heart and character of something like Popeye, nor does it have the excess and camp appeal of something like Flash Gordon. The movie is almost worth watching for its sets and make up alone, but its such an inert and lifeless affair that I just can't recommend it.
Released in 1990 to mildly positive reviews and decent box office (though allegedly under performing depending on the reporting agency) Dick Tracy was often compared to the previous Summer's superhero blockbuster Batman. While there are certain superficial similarities to the Burton helmed production, the fact that the two films were in production roughly around the same time hints more at coincidence.
The movie spiritually speaking has much more in common with Brian de Palma's The Untouchables adaptation than 1989's Batman. From the straight arrow protagonist to the over the top villain played by an actor from The Godfather (Al Pacino being this movie Robert de Niro) the movie is clearly trying to ape that particular framework while filtering it through the lens of a comic book art style. The movie is absolutely gorgeous to look at. From the make up, to the costumes, to the city itself, the movie takes a very stylized approach to its material with a color pallet inspired by the aesthetics of 1930s newspaper comic strips and a noticeable absence of earthy or industrial colors that give the sets a uniquely artificial look that's visual interesting. In many ways its usage of make up and set design is reminiscent of Robert Altman's usage when he made his adaptation of Popeye in 1980. But unfortunately the movie beneath its beautiful costumes, sets, and makeup is hollow and lacking in substance.
The biggest issue with Dick Tracy is that despite an over the top design, everything is played very flatly (with the exception of one or two characters) Dick Tracy is a standard no nonsense cop (sort of Elliot Ness run through a funhouse mirror of exaggeration of his "untouchable" moniker), he has a standard love interest and a standard kid sidekick and none of the main characters in this movie feel memorable or engaging. Al Pacino appears to be having fun at least as the villain Big Boy, but a little of him goes a long way and his performance loses its novelty quickly (the fact Pacino got an Oscar nomination for this performance feels almost like a joke), Madonna is decent playing an exaggerated femme fatale, Breathless Mahoney, but like all the other roles in the movie it's a flat role that's only barely elevated by its performance.
Dick Tracy isn't a bad movie and it clearly has ambition and craft at work, but it's also in the shadow of other comic book movies. It doesn't have the heart and character of something like Popeye, nor does it have the excess and camp appeal of something like Flash Gordon. The movie is almost worth watching for its sets and make up alone, but its such an inert and lifeless affair that I just can't recommend it.
All those colors
Dockelektro11 August 2001
If Dick Tracy was in black and white, the pope wouldn't be religious. Giving a new sense to the concept of color in a movie, we are offered an unique experience throughout a comic-strip world, and it's one of the few movies which succeeded in doing so, thanks to a serious script, good direction, great performances (Al Pacino is astonishing) and most importantly a powerful mix of cinematography, art direction and costume design. Using only primary colors, the experience is quite different from anything we have seen before. And there is also a quite successful hommage to all the gangster-movie genre, pratically extinct from modern cinema. Overall, I see this movie as a fresh attempt and a touch of originality to a cinema which relies more and more on the old and already-seen formulas. 7 out of 10.
A vibrant and colourful gem
Ciaran_Clarke9919 January 2020
Each character has their own unique identity that makes each and everyone of them stand out. Each location is so lively and wonderful. Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice is one of my favourite of his performances, Madonna plays the seductive femme fatale Breathless Mahoney perfectly and the score is just a joy to listen to.
And overall one of the best comic book films I've ever seen.
Good art direction can't save a dire screenplay and terrible performances by the leads.
pelikan-794722 February 2017
When the color palette receives the most praise, it's a pretty sure bet that the script and performances stink. That's certainly the case here. Warren Beatty and Al Pacino are awful, the former aimlessly underplaying and the latter shamelessly overacting, as seems to be usual for each. It is painful to watch two actors who began their respective careers with so much promise become incapable of delivering actual characterizations instead of self indulgent, mannered displays of ego. The supporting performances are okay, but are buried under a ton of make-up and a bloated screenplay. I would rather watch Jell- o if color passes for entertainment.
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