Dick Tracy
• TOP NOTCH (my top choices)
• HONORABLE MENTION (well worth watching)
• YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER (I like them but you might not)
• CLASSICS (Great movies up through the 1960s - many don't have any rating)
DICK TRACY (1990) - PG - YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER
Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino... and just about everyone else in Hollywood.
Summary - 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.
Cautions - Comicbook violence (lots of Tommy Guns). One scene with Madonna in a black transparent robe and not much else.
Commentary - Released the year after Tim Burton's Batman, Dick Tracy seems like the bright, fun version of the comic book world. This is even more true after two decades of tortured heroes in dark films inspired by comics and graphic novels. In that light, Tracy's sunny retro look is positively refreshing.
As much as I love the production and art design, costumes and eccentric characters, it's been a bit difficult for me to put my finger on why the movie seems to fall apart a bit in the second act. I want to pin it on Al Pacino's portrayal of Big Boy Caprice which has often been criticized as "over the top" and "scenery chewing". But that's the character. Dick Tracy's whole world is populated with these extreme villians.
I think, for me, it comes down to Al Pacino being wrong for the part. There are certainly elements that I really like about Big Boy Caprice as the villain but I just don't care for how Pacino plays him. We the audience shouldn't cringe when our bad guy comes on screen, not in this kind of movie anyway.
Outside of that, this film has a lot to offer. If you like to see the good cop taking down the "no goodnicks" with style and a fantastic soundtrack, check this one out.
• HONORABLE MENTION (well worth watching)
• YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER (I like them but you might not)
• CLASSICS (Great movies up through the 1960s - many don't have any rating)
Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino... and just about everyone else in Hollywood.
Summary - 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.
Cautions - Comicbook violence (lots of Tommy Guns). One scene with Madonna in a black transparent robe and not much else.
Commentary - Released the year after Tim Burton's Batman, Dick Tracy seems like the bright, fun version of the comic book world. This is even more true after two decades of tortured heroes in dark films inspired by comics and graphic novels. In that light, Tracy's sunny retro look is positively refreshing.
As much as I love the production and art design, costumes and eccentric characters, it's been a bit difficult for me to put my finger on why the movie seems to fall apart a bit in the second act. I want to pin it on Al Pacino's portrayal of Big Boy Caprice which has often been criticized as "over the top" and "scenery chewing". But that's the character. Dick Tracy's whole world is populated with these extreme villians.
I think, for me, it comes down to Al Pacino being wrong for the part. There are certainly elements that I really like about Big Boy Caprice as the villain but I just don't care for how Pacino plays him. We the audience shouldn't cringe when our bad guy comes on screen, not in this kind of movie anyway.
Outside of that, this film has a lot to offer. If you like to see the good cop taking down the "no goodnicks" with style and a fantastic soundtrack, check this one out.
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