Themes: Star Detectives, One Against the Mob, Disfigured Criminals
Main Cast: Warren Beatty, Charlie Korsmo, Glenne Headly, Madonna, Al Pacino
Release Year: 1990
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Warren Beatty directed and starred in this big-budget action comedy featuring Chester Gould's square-jawed, two-dimensional comic strip detective. Ruthless gangster Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) touches off a gang war against underworld boss Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino), with Big Boy and his minions rubbing out enough of Manlis's goons (along with Manlis himself) to take over his nightclub, and a healthy percentage of the city's criminal activities in the process. Caprice also gains proprietary rights to Manlis's girlfriend, nightclub chanteuse Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). Big Boy's next move to is unite the rest of the city's crooks under his command; this wave of corruption attracts the attention of lawman Dick Tracy, who is determined to smash Caprice's criminal network once and for all. As Tracy plots to put Big Boy behind bars where he belongs, Breathless uses her considerable charms in an attempt to sway Tracy from the path of righteousness; this causes no small amount of anxiety for Tracy's long-suffering female companion, Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), and the street-smart kid (Charlie Korsmo) they've been keeping an eye on. The various bad guys, heavily made up to resemble Gould's cartoon characters (though Beatty is not made up to resemble Tracy), include Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, R.G. Armstrong, and William Forsythe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Ravishing production design from Richard Sylbert, gorgeous cinematography from Vittorio Storaro, and a memorable musical score from Stephen Sondheim (performed ably by pop star Madonna) are the highlights of this film from co-writer, director, producer, and star Warren Beatty. Unfortunately, the film's script has been worked over by a committee of scribes, resulting in a somewhat fractured narrative that is the typical end product of too many cooks in the literary kitchen. There is probably no film of the late 20th century that more powerfully proves the old adage, "If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage." Every single production element here is superior, from the makeup effects to the costumes, to the supporting players such as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Glenne Headly. In fact, from a strictly visual point of view, Dick Tracy (1990) is probably one of the best-made films of the decade, featuring a crew of skilled artisans at the top of their collective game. In the story department, however, the film never quite gels, displaying the same emotional flatness as the two-dimensional comic strip it's based upon, never coming to life in the exhilarating fashion of other comics-based films such as Batman (1989) and The X-Men (2000). The hard emphasis is clearly on the "noble" in "noble failure," but Dick Tracy just doesn't quite work. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Dustin Hoffman - Mumbles; William Forsythe - Flattop; Charles Durning - Chief Brandon; Mandy Patinkin - 88 Keys; Paul Sorvino - Lips Manlis; R.G. Armstrong - Pruneface; Dick Van Dyke - D.A. Fletcher; Seymour Cassel - Sam Catchem; James Keane - Pat Patton; Allen Garfield - Reporter; John Schuck - Reporter; Charles Fleischer - Reporter; James Tolkan - Numbers; Kathy Bates - Mrs. Green; Catherine O'Hara - Texie Garcia; Henry Silva - Influence; James Caan - Spaldoni; Bert Remsen - Bartender; Frank Campanella - Judge Harper; Michael J. Pollard - Bug Bailey; Estelle Parsons - Mrs. Trueheart; Mary Woronov - Welfare Person; Henry Jones - Night Clerk; Mike Mazurki - Old Man at Hotel; Robert Beecher - Ribs Mocca; Marshall Bell - Lips' Cop; Rita Bland - Dancer; Lada Boder - Dancer; Hamilton Camp - Store Clerk; Marvelee Cariaga - Soprano; Ned Clafin - Radio Announcer; Billy Clevenger - Newspaper Vendor; Robert Costanzo - Lips' Bodyguard; Stig Eldred - Shoulders; Tony Epper - Steve, the Tramp; Tom Finnegan - Uniform Cop at Ritz; Michael Gallup - Baritone; Jack Goode, Jr. - Lab Technician; Michael Hagerty - Doorman; Dee Hengstler - Dancer; Chuck Hicks - The Brow; Lew Horn - Lefty Moriarty; Liz Imperio - Dancer; Jack Kehoe - Customer at Raid; Sharmagne Leland-St. John - Club Ritz Patron; Arthur Malet - Diner Patron; Ed McCready - Cop at Tess'; Colm Meaney - Cop at Tess'; Lawrence Steven Meyers - Little Face; John Moschitta, Jr. - Radio Announcer; Michael Donovan O'Donnell - McGillicuddy; Ed O'Ross - Itchy; Karyne Ortega - Dancer; Tiny Ron; Bing Russell - Club Ritz Patron; Karen Russell - Dancer; Tom Signorelli - Mike; Sharmagne Leland St. John - Club Ritz Patron; Ray Stoddard - Lab Technician; Neil Summers - The Rodent; Jim Wilkey - Stooge; Ian Wolfe - Forger; Neil Ross - Radio Announcer; Michelle Johnston - Dancer; Walker Edmiston - Radio Announcer
Credit
Harold Michelson - Art Director, Allen Gonzales - Animator, Sanuel Recinos - Animator, Jim Van Wyck - Associate Producer, Jackie Burch - Casting, Jeffery Hornaday - Choreography, Jon Landau - Co-producer, Milena Canonero - Costume Designer, Warren Beatty - Director, Richard Marks - Editor, Art Linson - Executive Producer, Floyd Mutrux - Executive Producer, Barrie M. Osborne - Executive Producer, Danny Elfman - Composer (Music Score), Jeff Lass - Songwriter, Stephen Sondheim - Songwriter, Thomas Pasatieri - Songwriter, Andy Paley - Songwriter, William Elliott - Songwriter, Kevin Haney - Makeup, Cheri Minns - Makeup, John Caglione, Jr. - Makeup Special Effects, Doug Drexler - Makeup Special Effects, Richard Sylbert - Production Designer, Vittorio Storaro - Cinematographer, Warren Beatty - Producer, Henry Alberti - Set Designer, James Murakami - Set Designer, Eric Orbom - Set Designer, Rick Simpson - Set Designer, Buena Vista Visual Effects Group - Special Effects, Lawrence James Cavanaugh - Special Effects, Harrison Ellenshaw - Special Effects, Michael Lloyd - Special Effects, David E. Campbell - Sound/Sound Designer, Doug Hemphill - Sound/Sound Designer, Billy Burton - Stunts, Frederic Kimball - Dialogue Writer, Warren Beatty - Screenwriter, Jim Cash - Screenwriter, Jack Epps, Jr. - Screenwriter, Bo Goldman - Screenwriter, Lorenzo Semple, Jr. - Screenwriter, Peter Ellenshaw - Matte Artist
