Dick Tracy
2/4
Starring: Warren Beatty, Charlie Korsmo, Glenne Headly, Madonna, Al Pacino
Rated PG (for Violence, I guess)
Let's get the obvious out of the way: "Dick Tracy" looks fabulous. Warren Beatty has attempted to bring a comic book to life, and while the effect as a whole is not always successful, the film's look is amazing. Beatty has deepened the colors and has carefully chosen how to set up the shots to lend the film a comic-like sensibility. Unfortunately, the film runs into trouble when it comes to acting and plot.
Dick Tracy (Beatty) is a detective with a reputation of bending the law to catch the bad guys. His obsessive need to be in the middle of the action is frustrating his girlfriend Tess Trueheart (Headly). Meanwhile, someone has knocked off Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino) and Dick thinks it was Big Boy Caprice (Pacino). But he doesn't have any evidence, so he has to convince lounge singer Breathless Mahoney (Madonna) to testify against him, which considering Caprice's viciousness, is no easy task. But there is also another shadowy figure with his hands in the story...
Putting it bluntly, the film's plot is a mess. It rarely makes any sense. The script by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr. goes anywhere and everywhere, and Beatty, who directed this film, struggles to hold everything up. It's a valiant effort, but an unsuccessful one.
The acting is also problematic. No one seems comfortable in their characters skins or in the midst of this weird setting. Not even the acting veterans are convincing; they're either miscast or just bad. Warren Beatty plays Dick, and it's not a role that he is suited for (although it's not hard to understand why he took the part, since he directed the film). Dick is meant to be played by a Humphrey Bogart-ish tough guy, and Beatty isn't it. Former kid star Charlie Korsmo is stiff and rarely convincing. Tiny voiced Glenne Headly is not the right actress for this kind of a movie. Al Pacino just shouts a lot, and his performance quickly becomes irritating. The only actor who gets the film is Madonna, ironically (maybe it's because she's used to this kind of over-the-top visual stuff...after all, she is Madonna).
Beatty paces this film like a film trailer. It never slows down. A film-noir has to be able to stir in its own juices before accelerating to the climax. "Dick Tracy" is all about the acceleration.
It's a shame, really. The work by the people who created the sets and costumes deserves to be seen and appreciated (it did win an Oscar for Art and Set Decoration, but Vittorio Storaro lost the statue for his camerawork). The makeup (which earned an Oscar for John Caglione Jr and Doug Drexler) is ambitious but not particularly successful...some cartoons don't lend themselves well to reality.
My advice is to skip this one and watch "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Sin City," two movies that did similar things to much better effect.
Starring: Warren Beatty, Charlie Korsmo, Glenne Headly, Madonna, Al Pacino
Rated PG (for Violence, I guess)
Let's get the obvious out of the way: "Dick Tracy" looks fabulous. Warren Beatty has attempted to bring a comic book to life, and while the effect as a whole is not always successful, the film's look is amazing. Beatty has deepened the colors and has carefully chosen how to set up the shots to lend the film a comic-like sensibility. Unfortunately, the film runs into trouble when it comes to acting and plot.
Dick Tracy (Beatty) is a detective with a reputation of bending the law to catch the bad guys. His obsessive need to be in the middle of the action is frustrating his girlfriend Tess Trueheart (Headly). Meanwhile, someone has knocked off Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino) and Dick thinks it was Big Boy Caprice (Pacino). But he doesn't have any evidence, so he has to convince lounge singer Breathless Mahoney (Madonna) to testify against him, which considering Caprice's viciousness, is no easy task. But there is also another shadowy figure with his hands in the story...
Putting it bluntly, the film's plot is a mess. It rarely makes any sense. The script by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr. goes anywhere and everywhere, and Beatty, who directed this film, struggles to hold everything up. It's a valiant effort, but an unsuccessful one.
The acting is also problematic. No one seems comfortable in their characters skins or in the midst of this weird setting. Not even the acting veterans are convincing; they're either miscast or just bad. Warren Beatty plays Dick, and it's not a role that he is suited for (although it's not hard to understand why he took the part, since he directed the film). Dick is meant to be played by a Humphrey Bogart-ish tough guy, and Beatty isn't it. Former kid star Charlie Korsmo is stiff and rarely convincing. Tiny voiced Glenne Headly is not the right actress for this kind of a movie. Al Pacino just shouts a lot, and his performance quickly becomes irritating. The only actor who gets the film is Madonna, ironically (maybe it's because she's used to this kind of over-the-top visual stuff...after all, she is Madonna).
Beatty paces this film like a film trailer. It never slows down. A film-noir has to be able to stir in its own juices before accelerating to the climax. "Dick Tracy" is all about the acceleration.
It's a shame, really. The work by the people who created the sets and costumes deserves to be seen and appreciated (it did win an Oscar for Art and Set Decoration, but Vittorio Storaro lost the statue for his camerawork). The makeup (which earned an Oscar for John Caglione Jr and Doug Drexler) is ambitious but not particularly successful...some cartoons don't lend themselves well to reality.
My advice is to skip this one and watch "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Sin City," two movies that did similar things to much better effect.
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