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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I remember when the 1990s Dick Tracy film came out. I went and saw it with my mom and younger brother. I was drawn into the movie from the watch alone. I thought Tracy’s watch was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I remember the villains and being drawn into the gangster war of cops and robbers. After decades, Dick Tracy was on YouTube. I decided to watch it to see if it still held up. I want to say that this film is still awesome and the shit.
Dick Tracy is based on the 1930s comic strip created by Chester Gould. The film, produced, directed, and starring Warren Beatty, brings to life the famous detective with an all-star cast. When I mean an all-star cast, it has Al Pacino, Madonna, Glenne Headly, and Charlie Korsmo, with appearances by Dustin Hoffman, James Keane, Charles Durning, William Forsythe, Seymour Cassel, Mandy Patinkin, Catherine O’Hara, Ed O’Ross, James Caan, James Tolkan, R. G. Armstrong and Dick Van Dyke
The film is set in 1938. A street urchin watches a group of mobsters playing a card game. Things get real when Flattop and Itchy, two of Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice’s (Pacino’s) right-hand men, roll up, massacre the group, and leave Dick Tracy (Beatty) a message in bullets. Tracy catches the urchin as homeboy tries to steal. The urchin runs off and returns to his home to some ruthless dude. Tracy whips the dude’s ass and somewhat adopts the urchin who wants to be called Kid. Kid meets Tracy’s girlfriend, Tess Trueheart (Headly).
Big Boy has big plans for the city. First, he makes Lips Manlis sign over his club to him before killing him by submerging his whole body in cement while also stealing his foine ass girl and singer Breathless Mahoney. Tracy arrests and interrogates Mumbles but learns that he can’t hold anyone without evidence. Big Boy gathers all the criminals in the city to take over the city, but with him as the #1 boss of bosses, along with killing Tracy to make sure their only competition is out of the way. Tracy must figure out a way to keep his girl happy and keep an eye on the kid while fighting Big Boy and his goons. A tall order for a man who protects the city.
I said it before and say it again, Dick Tracy is an AWESOME movie from the story but also the costume design, make-up, all-star cast, music, and tone of the film. Let’s start off with the story. Being based on a comic book, you get the whole story of cops and robbers. This time you have Dick Tracy, who is almost as powerful as the police chief who goes out and whips ass. Then you have Big Boy, whose name really doesn’t fit him. He is a short, squat man with a loud voice and a ruthless personality. These two go head-to-head with each other for control of the city. Tracy wants crime out, and Big Boy wants crime to rule all. What I love about the film is that it shows both main characters getting the best of each other. When Tracy plants a bug in Big Boy’s office, he hears and foils all his plans. Big Boy is on the edge of ruin until he discovers a bug in his office. The film then shows Big Boy taking control of the situation, making bank, and even framing Tracy for murder. It was all good, and the climax was awesome with the shoot-out between Tracy and Big Boy’s men.
I want to give a major shout-out to the cinematography, costume design, and make-up. The cinematography was great as it had that comic book feel but without all the useless pow and words flashing. The style of the film was spot on with the colors and how people were shown on screen. I love the costume design because they use different colors to identify characters, but I also love that 20-40s look. I’m all about that gangster look with the zoot suits and fedora hats. That is by far my favorite style of all time. Finally, the make-up. The make-up was phenomenal. Love how many of the characters look like the names were given. Flat Top really had a flat-top head, while Lips had some huge ass lips. It was all great.
The music was equally great in this film. The main song is Sooner or Later by Madonna. This song was played when Tracy was going on his warpath and ruining Big Boy’s plans. Madonna sang this song with such a sultry voice that it drew you in with each second. It is a great song. My favorite song in this film is Back in Business. I love this song because it shows the good times of Big Boy after Tracy got arrested. It was upbeat and fun to listen to, and I will play the song when I make it big and rule an enterprise.
Everyone who was a part of this film was great. The cast is large and ensemble, and you have to guess which star plays which character. First, Warren Beatty was great as the title character. Beatty was cool as the other side of the pillow as Tracy, who threw a mean punch and wanted to clean up the streets from Big Boy’s control. I have to give it up to Madonna as Breathless Mahoney. Madonna was FOINE as the sultry club singer who wanted to be the only one for Tracy. Who wouldn’t want a woman like Breathless on your arm? Charlie Korsmo as “The Kid” was equally entertaining. I love the scene where he keeps saying when they are going to eat.
The one who stole the show was Al Pacino as Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice. Pacino brought his larger-than-life and epic performance to this film as the crime boss who wanted to rule the city. Whenever Pacino was on screen, he stole the film, and with it, he was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar. He was definitely the Big Boy in this film.
Dick Tracy is a great comic strip film. It has aged greatly in my eyes and holds up today. It is an entertaining film with a great story, fantastic costumes, make-up, and songs. The acting lacks a little bit, but you won’t notice with all the action going on. Watch this film and try to get a cool-ass Dick Tracy watch.
BONUS CLIP!!!!
