Plot Outline: The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob. (more)
User Comments:
Not deserving the obscurity it has
(more)
Date: 7 June 2003 Summary: Not deserving the obscurity it has
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 Breatless (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 an 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.
company.
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