Dick Tracy (1990)

Based upon the comic strip created in 1931 by Chester Gould, this eye-popping live-action adaptation was long planned by Oscar-winning director Warren Beatty (Reds, Heaven Can Wait) who also elected to star as the titular square-jawwed crime fighter sporting a bright yellow jacket.  Finally green-lit and released by Disney in the wake of the breakout success the prior year of Tim Burton's Batman, the studio was hoping that it could duplicate the mega-blockbuster success of that comic book adaptation, backing its release with loads of marketing hype AND three different soundtrack albums including an assortment of original songs written by Tony-winning songwriting stage legend Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story, Into the Woods) and performed one of its co-stars....that would be Madonna who played Breathtless Mahoney, who is also a key femme fatale for the story.  She is joined by completely STACKED cast by Paul Sorvino, Mandy Patinkin, Glenne Headley, Charlie Korsmo, Charles Durning, James Caan, Dustin Hoffman, AND Al Pacino who plays the film's main villain Big Boy Caprice. 

Alas the film did solid box office but did not live up to the Batman-level hype...though it DID set a record for most Oscars won by a comic book adaptation with three for Best Makeup, Best Original Song, and Best Art Direction.  This record of three Oscars would not be matched for another 28 years until it was eventually tied by another Disney comic book release, Black Panther. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

DICK TRACY – 1990

Directed by Warren Beatty

Starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Glenne Headly, Charlie Korsmo, Mandy Patinkin, Seymour Cassel, James Keane, Charles Durning, William Forsythe, James Tolkan, Ed O’Ross, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Henry Silva, and Dustin Hoffman

Genre: Comic Book Gangster Movie (Audio clip)

I am fairly confident that IF I did not first see this movie multiple times on the big screen at an impressionable young age, that I would now find it highly irritating. 🫣 Because this primary -colored comic strip crime drama from director (and star) Warren Beatty is IN your face from minute one all the way to its conclusion. 

With the exception of ONE key performance (Guess which one?), everything from the bombastic score (one of Elfman's best) to the lush matte paintings to the over-the-top villain make-up to the prominence given to each diegetic song performance (Sondheim, likely overqualified for the material) to blow-your-ears-out sound effects design....is positively DIALED up! Hell even the cast is excessively stacked to the point where Kathy Bates (the same year she won her Oscar no less) is given a one-joke quick cameo where she has ZERO dialogue. 😆

The dialogue is packed to the gills with gangster cliches, the montages last even longer than Rocky IV's, and the admittedly gorgeous cinematography (three-time Oscar Winner Vittorio Storaro) is SO loaded with split diopter shots throughout that you could even imagine Brian DePalma exiting a screening comiserating, "I don't know, did they really NEED Madonna's nipple in focus like that?" 

Beatty fills the frame with so much stuff that is it any wonder that he seems so disinterested (or maybe at least just tired) on-screen playing the titular character?  Regardless, pretty much every one else on-screen delivers ESPECIALLY Pacino's Big Boy Caprice - he never shuts up and is genuinely funny! Yes in retrospect, this feels like a '90's preview of Mega-Pacino but back in 1990, this still felt pretty fresh for him....even Madonna is actually not "bad" truly going for it with the often thankless role of Breathless that's more dependent on wardrobe than actual dialogue. No she really doesn't have chemistry with Beatty but honestly NOONE does. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film):

Looking back on it, it’s kind of crazy just HOW well the music works for this movie – both the soundtrack of original songs and score – based on its very unique pedigree.  You have the late, great composter and musical playwright Stephen Sondheim – born in New York City – the creator of the songbooks for just a FEW legendary musicals like West Side Story….Into the Woods…..Danny Elfman – native of Los Angeles  former front-man for new wave band Oingo Boingo now around ’90 just starting to make a name for himself as a film composer with recent standout scores for Batman, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and previous episode Midnight Run……and MADONNA – straight out of Detroit – who was just coming out of the ‘80’s as one of our more popular pop diva’s though her popularity was always more about her look, stage presence, and the production behind her music than her voice.  In fact it’s this very production acumen in tandem with producer/former club DJ Robert “Shep” Pettibone which resulted in THE most popular song to emerge form this film’s THREE different (yes  you hear that right)……even though we never actually hear it during the movie, it’s the house dance classic “Vogue.” (Audio clip) 

Beyond that EXTREMELY catchy piece of cultural appropriation however, the results of these three artists are complementary and more in line with this film’s tone and vibe than they have any right to be…..starting with Danny Elfman’s main title THEME for Dick Tracy which we hear during the opening credits and throughout…..YES its sounds a few notes off from his Batman theme from the year prior but it’s still DAMN catchy! (Audio clip) 

However when it comes to the film’s original score, my personal highlight has to be a GORGEOUS, lush piece of music which MIGHT be the most romantic theme ever composed by Elfman….this is truly among his best and we hear it throughout to accompany Headley’s Tess Trueheart and her awkward ongoing romance with Mr. Tracy.  This is old-time classic Hollywood weepie orchestral music in the best sense….it’s titled “Tess’s Theme” of course. (Audio clip) 

Talk about an embarrassment of riches….because those three tracks just cited would have been THE standout for most other films.  But nope….because as far as I’m concerned (and apparently the Academy agreed as this also won the Oscar for Best Original Song this year), this film’s most standout piece of music is rehearsed by Madonna’s Breathless early on….and then we TRULY hear it kick in as she performs it Big Boy’s Club Ritz JUST as the coppers lead by Tracy do a raid on its casino….they don’t find anything BUT...some one has snuck up to the attic and planted a bug. (Audio clip) 

And then as Tracy drives away with a GORGEOUS center-frame shot of the back of his car driving down the street….a montage kicks in of Tracy FINALLY getting the drop on Big Boy, taking down his various criminal enterprises.  This was a vocal high-water mark for Madonna at the time and the song provides a PITCH-PERFECT counterpoint to the crime-stopping on-screen – the song is the EXQUISITE “Sooner or Later.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Now with this film, we are going to see a rare repeat among two categories but on opposite sides of the quality spectrum.  To me, the weak link amidst ALL of this has been Beatty’s leads performance as the titular Dick Tracy.  Now I get the whole square-jawed, no-nonsense vibe he's apparently going for but it even feels at points as if solid chunks of his dialogue just…..trail off. (Audio clip) 

Yes he LOOKS great in the yellow coat and hat, he also looks pretty engaged participating in the action. (Of which there likely isn't enough....90% is relegated to montage) He's just not that compelling to watch, barely mumbling most of his dialogue or just giving off blank looks.  The only positive aspect of this is that it leave most of the true emotional heavy-lifting to the late, great Glenne Headley as Tess and Charlie Korsmo as The Kid. And they're both excellent, each going for it fully aware that they're supposed to be performing within a three dimensional comic strip. (Audio clip) 

Seriously though in retrospect, Beatty casting himself just feels either ego-driven or something pushed by the studio…..this role called for some one a bit more dynamic and invested in what’s going on….on-screen.  Here’s a thought: even though I thought HIS lead performance was among the weaker aspects of previous episode The Untouchables…..you take his portrayal of uber-earnest but always engaged Elliott Ness in THAT movie and it feels very well. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

As previously stated, most of this film’s action is relegated to montage…which I think kind of works in retrospect.  But I’ve GOTTA give a shout-out its BEST action sequence which occurs late in the movie as Big Boy now has Tess as his hostage, Tracy’s on top of the casino trying to get in….and has called in the cavalry lead by Charles Durning’s Chief Brandon.  Big Boy’s gang is apparently to drive their way out of this narrow situation by also SHOOTING their way out…and so once one of their cars bashes through the garage, OUT come the Tommy Gun’s! (Audio clip)

Now the sequence doesn’t go on for very long but the combination of these brightly colored cars coming into gunfire in success and the PIERCING loud sound of these Thompson rifles results in a very memorable setpiece.  It’s SO well done that it even kind of reminds me of ….yeah….and for fans of this movie this MIGHT come off as sacrilege.  Not saying it’s as good but I feel like that five years BEFORE Heat, this was basically the PG-rated, primary color, studio backlot version of THAT film’s now iconic downtown shootout. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

At the end of the day, this movie looks great, sounds great, feels unique, and moves well.  Now I can remember coming EXACTLY a year after Tim Burton’s first Batman film and also hoping to duplicate that film’s success (which it didn’t even come close to)….the marketing campaign even seemed to emulate it with trailers that were heavy on Danny Elfman’s scores and teaser posters which just hinted at ONE stand-alone character in a mysterious way….without even revealing the movie’s title.  When the reviews started coming out, I can even remember one TV critic referring to this as simply “Batman in a Yellow coat.”  Beatty had this in development for years so the timing just happened to be incidental….but I can be fairly confident that one of the reasons this film never quite caught on the way its studio was hoping was it was SO overshadowed by Batman.

Now for the record, I LOVE Batman Returns (check out my previous episode)…..but I was never that high on the first one.  So here’s MY hot take from back in ’90 when this came out and STILL now…..I feel like this is a better version of the movie Batman was trying to be.  CRAZY I know….but hear me out: I just find this to be a more well-realized world with a more cohesive plot AND….whereas Batman ’89 just spends WAY too much letting Nicholson’s Joker simply riff in front of the camera, the structure of this movie spreads the wealth better….I CARE about Tess and The Kid, I’m intrigued about Breathless and Big Boy Caprice….and it’s just a kick to inhabit this world for 100+ minutes.  And whereas Keaton REALLY underplaying the title character in that first Batman throws THAT movie off-balance, I feel like this movie achieves that balance DESPITE Beatty’s weak performance.  And believe it or not, that comes down to the director….Burton was still finding his footing but Beatty by this point was already a seasoned filmmaker – this was his third time but the previous two were much CLASSICS….Heaven Can Wait and Reds, the latter of which won him the Oscar for Best Director no less.  For helming one of the more underrated and earliest stand-out comic book adaptations, Warren Beatty is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5 

And at the end of the day, this film just works as a full-on sensory experience. Just like the best comic book adaptations from its era (Batman Returns, The Crow, The Rocketeer) it's a trip to be immersed into such a lush, textured world. The flaws are never gonna go away but almost thirty-five years later, there are still more than enough show-stopping elements to merit a periodic rewatch. 🤗

Streaming on Prime Video

And that ends another 30 SECONDS NO MORE DICK review!