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Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: No Special Features
Review: I remember being intrigued by this movie when it first came out (when I was young and had not seen it yet). So I bought the DVD, saw it a few times and my verdict is in. I'm impressed with the effort put into it, such as the cartoon-like cinematography, art direction, legendary music by Sondheim, and all those cool cameos in the film (check the cast listing). Al Pacino did a good job as Big Boy Caprice and his Oscar nomination for supporting actor is well deserved. Although Beatty's performance as Dick Tracy is a bit dry, I believe the part called for it, the same goes for most of the characters. There is not much character development here with only one exception. This exception being the Kid (Charlie Korsmo), who starts out as a homeless-orphan-street-thief, but ends up being taken under Tracy's wing and becoming Tracy's sidekick. Korsmo acting seemed authentic, and some of the most emotional scenes in the movie are between him and Tracy. Such as when the Kid receives an honorary badge for saving Tracy's life, and when he chooses Dick Tracy Jr. for a name. Madonna looks really beautiful (perhaps the best she has ever looked on film) and does a decent job as Breathless, but her best parts are when she sings or her one-liners (but again I think the part called for it). Also I was pleasantly surprised that Madonna actually has two roles in the film (you would have to see to find out). Overall, though I was intrigued by the movie as a youngster, I must say that despite the considerable effort put into the film, I feel that it lacks charm and intrigue. But again for the third time think the comic strip origins of the movie called for it, and because of this it may leave viewers without any afterthoughts, and what adds to this is the fact that there is no special features at all on the DVD!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Comic Book movie that comes to life!!!
Review: This is a fun movie all around, Warren Beatty who starred & directed this really understands the Comic-Book elements that fans had come to expect from it, & what a ride it is, the cartoonish characters & scenery is neat to look at, In this Beatty is Tracy who is trying to bring down the mobsters led by Big Boy Caprice, played Al Pacino who has a field day here, not since "Scarface" has Pacino had such fun with a character, & you can tell he had fun here, Madonna does a pretty good job as Breathless, she is perfect in this character role, many other stars are here as well, such as James Caan as a rival crime boss, Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles, Kathy Bates as a police secretary, Dick Van Dyke as the mayor, Charles During as the police cheif & others such as Henry Silva(Sharkey's Machine), Ed O'Ross(Lethal Weapon), E.G. Marshall(Predator), James Tolkan(Back to the Future), & William Forstyhe(The Rock) as Flatop, & Glenne Headly as Tess, & Paul Sorvino(Goodfellas) as Lips, & who could forget Mandy Panikin(Chicago Hope) as 88 Keys, the piano player, how Beatty assembled this cast is anyone's guess, but they all give it their best, & it works, although released in 1990, it was heavenly critisized by the media, the same way "Batman" was a year earlier & the way "Star Wars" is being now, as I have said before, why hype gives people the impression that it is the second coming is a mystery to me, just enjoy movies for what they are, "Dick Tracy" may not be "The Godfather", but it is a technical acheivement nonetheless, & is downright fun, & doesn't take itself too seriously, which is good, if you want a serious movie, stay away, but if you want a fun movie with big actors letting loose, then you won't be disappointed here!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A CARTOONISH AND AMUSING FILM.
Review: "Dick Tracy" is a movie that looked better in 1990, but still is entertaining and has interesting things, for instance, the production design, which makes that the movie feels like a mixture between a cartoon and a comic book. The costumes also are good, as well as the makeup.

The most surprising thing in "Dick Tracy" is the fact that the impressing cast (which includes great, great actors like Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan and Paul Sorvino) portrays cartoonish characters, some of them characterized in a kinda cheesy way, however, you can tell that these great actors had a great time when they filmed "Dick Tracy", it's evident how much fun they had in the making process of the movie.

Warren Beatty is adequate as Dick Tracy, the main character in the movie, Beatty also was the director of "Dick Tracy". Charlie Korsmo did a good job as "The Kid", who is an interesting character and he brings out the more human side of Dick Tracy, he becomes almost a surrogate father for "the Kid". Madonna also appears in the film, and even though her musical contribution is bigger than her performance, her character is a key for the development of the plot.

"Dick Tracy" is an amusing movie, specially for those who enjoy film adaptations for comic books, or for those who saw this movie when they were kids (like myself) and feel a bit of nostalgia.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Visually Stunning But Exhaustingly Static
Review: Less than a decade earlier, Warren Beatty directed himself to considerable critical acclaim in the film REDS. But with 1990's DICK TRACY he stumbled badly: although it received considerable hype and numerous critical accolades for its art and sound design, the film fizzled at the box office, and these days you are more likely to find the film in a retail bargain bin than in some one's personal collection.

Even so, DICK TRACY isn't as bad as its detractors often claim. The film has several things going for it, most particularly that deservedly lauded art design, which seeks to recreate the look and feel of "golden age" comic books. Built in largely primary color and with a tremendous sense of line, the designs are among the most striking of the 1990s. The make-up designs, which go to considerable length to recreate the look of the comic book characters, are also enjoyable.

The film also has several memorable performances, and the most notable among these comes from someone who is has had little success on the big screen: Madonna. As femme fatale "Breathless Mahoney," she looks good, has the best lines and delivers them with considerable spirit, and flawlessly performs the complex musical numbers specifically written for her by the legendary Stephen Sondheim. ("Sooner or Later" may be single best thing she's done on film.) Glenne Headly, as Tracy's steady girl Tess, also makes an impression, as do many of the cameo performers, who range from Dustin Hoffman to Kathy Bates and from Estelle Parsons to James Caan.

But for all its memorable visuals and the occasional outstanding performance, DICK TRACY is an incredibly static film. Although the art designers did a terrific job in capturing the look of comic book graphics, the cinematographer miscalculated in repeating the look in terms of camera setups, which are presented in a flat-frame style calculated to recreate comic book frames. The result is a host of beautiful images without any motion dynamic at all, and over the course of its run the film develops a static quality that I personally found absolutely exhausting.

The script doesn't help very much either. The story finds our hero trying to put away Big Boy Caprice and being tempted away from Tess by Breathless in the process--and that's really all you can say about it one way or another. And with one or two exceptions aside, the dialogue is as uninspired as the plot. What with the camera locked down like the Rock of Gibraltar and the script dead in the water, it's hardly surprising that most of the performers reacted by offering performances so incredibly broad that most of their efforts feel acutely forced.

I can understand why many people admire and even enjoy the film, but by the time the final credits rolled I myself was glad to see it go, and I'd recommend that you either borrow it or rent it before you go so far as to buy it. As for the DVD, the picture and sound quality are great, but there are no extras of any kind.

--GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A classic charecter wasted by beatty, just wasted
Review: This movie is worth watching but has no visual key, all the original charecter seem to feed of Warren Beatty's every move, it did make me think alot and the dark nature of this shatteringly wasted movie will confuse you into a point that you will totally hate it, no main plot and a small appearence from Maddonna, if this movie had been directed by James Camaron or Spyke Jonzes, it would've been a major success, too bad the great charecter has been entirely ruined, no hope for a sequel just comes to show you how this disastorious movie hit the point of no fame.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic film!!
Review: This film is one of the greatest of all time. Dick Tracy (Beatty) faces off against an onslaught of demented characters, including Flattop and Big Boy. A great tribute to the old serials of the 30's and films of the 40's, flawless casting, and an edgy plot make this film stand out. Great costuming and set design, unbelievable action. Get this one today!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: haha hoffman
Review: dustin hoffman played a retarded person in rain man and this movie. people must not think too highly of him.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Decent Music, Disturbing Movie
Review: This movie has its ups and downs - Warren Beatty does a solid job as Dick Tracy, Madonna does a good job as Breathless (you can tell she really worked hard to get it right), Glenne Headly does ok with the faithful Tess, and Pacino plays a great over the top villain.

The thing about this film is that it could have been really good with everything it had going for it. But the very tricks that Beatty (as director) tries to use to draw us further into the comic world are distracting, and keep reminding us that we're watching a movie. This is particularly seen in the villains - many of them have comic features - watermelon heads, completely flat heads, no face, etc - an interesting approach. However, they are so completely grotesque and bizarre that it's hard to not flinch every time you see one - it's very much like watching a nightmare you think you might have one day.

Steven Sondheim's music is, of course, fabulous - you can buy the soundtrack for this movie used on Amazon for about $2 - check it out.

With a stronger plot, and better writing and scripting, it could have been good. But instead it feels like something Tim Burton would have made when he was in the 4th grade.

See it if you like comic book movies. Otherwise, if you're in the mood for a dark movie that relates to comic books, check out something like Unbreakable or Batman.

Sincerely,

Thomas

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It Was Ok!
Review: Dick Tracy was an interesting movie, it was stylish and entertaining and I think Warren Beatty did a good job playing Dick Tracy. It's not a movie I want to own but I do recommend it to fans of movies based on comic book heroes.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dick Tracy (1990)
Review: Here she is again, folks: Madonna in yet another feature film. This time, she plays the villainess, Breathless Mahoney, a nightclub singer, who now works for Big Boy Caprice (played by the legendary Al Pacino).

Warren Beatty, Madonna's latest real life flame at the time, is in the role of ole Dick himself. Dick is in a relationship with Tess Trueheart, but Tess doesn't know how true this love for Dick is. Dick has been after Big Boy Caprice for quite some time. While on his way home from a long day, Dick runs into The Kid. He picks him and let's him stay awhile while he can find an orphange for The Kid to stay in.

Madonna plays Breathless Mahoney, the villainess who works for Big Boy Caprice. Despite the fact she works for his enemy, Breathless falls madly in love with Dick, which puts Dick and Tess' relationship to the test: Will Dick choose Breathless or Tess?

A pretty far-fetched film, but still quite enjoyable. Dick Tracy may have been great in the role of Dick Tracy, but the way I look at, it was really Madonna's performance as Breathless Mahoney and Al Pacino's performance as Big Boy Caprice that steal the spotlight of the show.


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