Dick Tracy (1990)

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.

Director:

Warren Beatty

Writers:

Chester Gould (based on characters created by: for the Dick Tracy comic strip distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.), Jim Cash

Stars:

Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino

Won 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 36 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Warren Beatty	...	Dick Tracy
Charlie Korsmo	...	Kid
Michael Donovan O'Donnell	...	McGillicuddy
Jim Wilkey	...	Stooge
Stig Eldred	...	Shoulders
Neil Summers	...	The Rodent
Chuck Hicks	...	The Brow
Lawrence Steven Meyers	...	Little Face
William Forsythe	...	Flattop
Ed O'Ross	...	Itchy
Glenne Headly	...	Tess Trueheart
Marvellee Cariaga	...	Soprano (as Marvelee Cariaga)
Michael Gallup	...	Baritone
Seymour Cassel	...	Sam Catchem
James Keane	...	Pat Patton

Storyline

All Tess Trueheart wants is to settle down to a quiet life with her boyfriend, detective Dick Tracy. But there's something pretty rotten going on in town, with someone pretty rotten behind it, and Tracy has his hands full with the likes of villain Big Boy Caprice and with the almost irresistible Breathless Mahoney.

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Plot Keywords:

based on comic strip | detective | police detective | dick tracy | crime boss | 

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Taglines:

Their turf. Their game. Their rules. They didn't count on HIS law...

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Music | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 June 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Дик Трэйси

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$47,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,543,911, 17 June 1990, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$103,738,726

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$162,738,726, 31 December 1991

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures,Silver Screen Partners IV,Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (analog 70 mm prints) CDS (digital 70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though Al Pacino had his own slicked-down hairstyle, the Make-up Artists had to add a fake chin, nose, upper lip, a mole on his cheek, and plugs behind his ears to make them stick out, in order to turn him into Big Boy Caprice.

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Goofs

A little platform is mounted on the back of the car for the kid to climb on.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Radio Announcer: Gangland enforcers broke the arms of an elderly newsdealer this afternoon when he refused to share his week's receipts with them. Stacks of newspapers were tossed in the gutter as the thugs wrecked the business and made their getaway. Lunchtime crowds were paralyzed by the suddenness of the crime. Not a hand was raised in protest.

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Crazy Credits

Touchstone logo appears in black and white in the opening credits.

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Connections

Version of Dick Tracy (1967)

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Soundtracks

You're In The Doghouse Now
Written by Andy Paley, Jeff Lass, Michael Kernan (as Mike Kernan) and Ned Claflin
Performed by Brenda Lee
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records

User Reviews

Tracy, Tracy, Tracy!

I never attended the midnight showing of a movie before "Dick Tracy" came out.

I still have the "t-shirt ticket" I had to wear to get admitted to the showing around here somewhere and, like that shirt, "Dick Tracy" has stuck with me ever since.

If you've seen the movie, the sharp visuals, bright primary colors and strong characters have no doubt been etched into your brain. It's a wonder to behold.

As director/star/co-writer/producer, Beatty knows what works in a film and shows it here, taking a familiar American icon and re-creating him for a whole new era. Still set in the '30s, "Tracy" has a kind of timeless quality like all good films do. I've lost track of how many times I've watched "Tracy" and I still catch something new every time I do.

The others are all top notch, starting with Pacino's Big Boy Caprice (a reminder that he can do comedy with the best of them), even Madonna's Breathless Mahoney is a relevation in that under the right environment, she can act (GASP!).

But there's still such themes touched on as the necessity of family, keeping true to one's self, good versus evil, even Machiavellian themes are explored. Odd for a comic strip film, but hey, it works.

All in all, "Dick Tracy" is a classic unto itself. Compared with other films of this decade, it makes a strong statement. It's a good, strong film that doesn't depend on blood, violence, profanity or nudity to make its point.

There's a lesson to be learned here.

Ten stars. Great Scott!