Dick Tracy (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Warren Beatty directs & stars in 'Dick Tracy', based on Chester Gould's famed comic book series. Dick Tracy (Beatty), though a lone-wolf, is one of the toughest police officers in his city. And he currently has an eye on low-life gangster, Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino); who commences a gang war against underworld boss Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino). With time, Big Boy & his underlings 'rub out' enough of Manlis' goons to take over his nightclub, & a big percentage of the city's criminal activities, as well. Caprice also gains ownership rights to Manlis' irresistible girlfriend, club torch singer, Breathless Mahoney (Madonna. Yes, that Madonna). Big Boy's next maneuver is to rally up the rest of the city's crooks under his rule; and this recent wave of corruption attracts 100% attention of square-jawed Dick Tracy, who's determined to smash Caprice's criminal network once & for all.
As Dick Tracy plots to put Big Boy in jail (where he belongs), Breathless Mahoney uses her feminine wiles in an attempt to sway Tracy from his path of righteousness; and this causes anxiety for Tracy's long-suffering girlfriend, Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), & the nameless street orphan (Charlie Korsmo) they've kept watch of. Tess wants to settle down & have a quiet life with Dick. But even she can't dissuade him from trying to put an end to the mobsters. Can Tracy overcome the seductive Breathless Mahoney, Tess, the kid, the mobsters, & a new one named 'The Blank', to save his beloved city? In addition to Pacino, the various villains, heavily made-up to resemble Gould's comic characters are played by such actors as Dustin Hoffman, William Forsythe, & James Caan.
'Dick Tracy' is one. fun. movie to actually WATCH. Visually, the film is stunning. Stylish & detailed. Vibrant & artificial. And that's a credit to Oscar-winning cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, the incredible art directors, Milena Canonero's eye-popping costumes, some incredible make-up design, & a special effect team that makes the tawdry urban night world of Chester Gould's comic book city come to life. To put it lightly, 'Dick Tracy' is a technical triumph. I also really enjoyed Al Pacino's campy supporting performance as Big Boy Caprice. Like the film's visuals, you can't take your eyes off of him. He's audacious, funny, creepy ... everything. I also liked Madonna's enigmatic portrayal as Breathless. She's another one you can't take your eyes off of.
But all is not perfect, here. For as entertaining as spurts of the film are, & for as madly colored the sets are, & for as enticing as the songs are that Madonna sings (as Breathless Mahoney) ... 'Dick Tracy' is actually not as involving as you'd expect it to be. Mediocre (narratively). Though it's fun to spot the celebrities under mounds of caked make-up, they're never as menacing as they need be. And unfortunately, I also found Warren Beatty's portrayal to be uninteresting. I know that he was a big factor in getting this movie made. But I must say that I've never found Beatty to be an overly engaging screen presence. That said, I still enjoyed the whole of 'Dick Tracy'. I was entertained by the sumptuous production design, lavish camerawork, fun performances from Pacino, Madonna, Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles, William Forsythe as Flattop, etc. And there are more than enough striking components of the film to get you through its tamer aspects.
As Dick Tracy plots to put Big Boy in jail (where he belongs), Breathless Mahoney uses her feminine wiles in an attempt to sway Tracy from his path of righteousness; and this causes anxiety for Tracy's long-suffering girlfriend, Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), & the nameless street orphan (Charlie Korsmo) they've kept watch of. Tess wants to settle down & have a quiet life with Dick. But even she can't dissuade him from trying to put an end to the mobsters. Can Tracy overcome the seductive Breathless Mahoney, Tess, the kid, the mobsters, & a new one named 'The Blank', to save his beloved city? In addition to Pacino, the various villains, heavily made-up to resemble Gould's comic characters are played by such actors as Dustin Hoffman, William Forsythe, & James Caan.
'Dick Tracy' is one. fun. movie to actually WATCH. Visually, the film is stunning. Stylish & detailed. Vibrant & artificial. And that's a credit to Oscar-winning cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, the incredible art directors, Milena Canonero's eye-popping costumes, some incredible make-up design, & a special effect team that makes the tawdry urban night world of Chester Gould's comic book city come to life. To put it lightly, 'Dick Tracy' is a technical triumph. I also really enjoyed Al Pacino's campy supporting performance as Big Boy Caprice. Like the film's visuals, you can't take your eyes off of him. He's audacious, funny, creepy ... everything. I also liked Madonna's enigmatic portrayal as Breathless. She's another one you can't take your eyes off of.
But all is not perfect, here. For as entertaining as spurts of the film are, & for as madly colored the sets are, & for as enticing as the songs are that Madonna sings (as Breathless Mahoney) ... 'Dick Tracy' is actually not as involving as you'd expect it to be. Mediocre (narratively). Though it's fun to spot the celebrities under mounds of caked make-up, they're never as menacing as they need be. And unfortunately, I also found Warren Beatty's portrayal to be uninteresting. I know that he was a big factor in getting this movie made. But I must say that I've never found Beatty to be an overly engaging screen presence. That said, I still enjoyed the whole of 'Dick Tracy'. I was entertained by the sumptuous production design, lavish camerawork, fun performances from Pacino, Madonna, Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles, William Forsythe as Flattop, etc. And there are more than enough striking components of the film to get you through its tamer aspects.