Sunday, March 20, 2016

Movie Reviews #50 - Dick Tracy (1990)

Plot: Detective Dick Tracy tries to stop mob boss Big Boy Caprice and his gang in a colorful version of film noir.

Review: Dick Tracy is based on an old comic strip. The movie has taken the strip and made an almost literal translation. Everyone seems to wear bright colored suits. All the mobsters have exaggerated faces, such as giant noses, huge foreheads, etc. This movie was a dream come true for a facial prosthetics company. If you buy into the movie’s universe, these strange features work.

The cast assembled for the movie is impressive; Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Madonna, Dustin Hoffman and William Forsythe among others. In particular Al Pacino as the main villain Big Boy Caprice is fun. He does a lot of yelling and overacting in this but it fits the movie. There are many facepalm inducing moments of stupidity that get frustrating. Dick Tracy often walks into obvious traps which I understand are a staple of these types of stories but it’s often too much to swallow. The score from Danny Elfman sounds like he took his same score from Batman. I swear there are some instrumental parts that are lifted straight from that movie.

It’s a cheesy, over exaggerated movie from which the viewer’s enjoyment will depend on how much they enjoy this style. Personally, I find the aesthetic interesting and some of the characters are fun, but it feels too silly to fully be immersed.


Score: 6/10

No comments:

Post a Comment