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 (characters), 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 | dick tracy | police | police detective | 

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Taglines:

I'm on my way.

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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, Mulholland Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Make-up Designers John Caglione, Jr. and Doug Drexler jokingly suggested Ronald Reagan for the role of Pruneface, but Warren Beatty opted for R.G. Armstrong, as he had worked with him on Heaven Can Wait (1978) and Reds (1981). However, Pruneface's ruddy cheeks and liver spots were added as an homage to Reagan by Caglione and Drexler.

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Goofs

When Dick Tracy jumps of the seesaw and through the ceiling window, he lands on the roof. This clearly shows the face of the stuntman doing the jump back down and then looking around before running off.

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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 (1945)

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Soundtracks

Sooner Or Later (I Always Get My Man)
Written by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Madonna
Arranged by Jeremy Lubbock
Strings Arranged by Shirley Walker
Courtesy of Sire Records

User Reviews

One of the best comic book adaptations of all time.

I've been watching "Dick Tracy" for years, and as a result it's become a vital part of my life - it was with me throughout childhood and I used to see it quite often. Seeing it now, as an adult, it's still a very good movie - dark, satiric and incredibly misunderstood. About the only thing that can be said is the Oscar nomination Pacino received - other than that it is rarely discussed and didn't make much of a fuss when it came out.

Pacino is over-the-top but to good effect as he's clearly having loads of fun. Beatty is great as Dick Tracy and behind the camera manages to capture the atmosphere of a film noir comic book better than any other film, possibly, I have ever seen. Just taking a look at one scene from the film is breathtaking. The lighting, velvet overtones and smog/smoke combine to create a great effect.

There are some really funny cameos including one by Dustin Hoffman as "Mumbles," and I don't think there are any flaws at all in terms of acting - even the mandatory kid-character is far better than expected.

Overall, a really fine movie that has become misunderstood over the years since its release and is incredibly underrated with only 5.7/10 average on IMDb. The critics' reviews are very positive (check out RottenTomatoes.com) and after seeing the film once again it's not hard to see why - this is a perfect example of capturing the essence of a comic book, from style to eccentricity.

Highly recommended. 4.5/5 stars.