Review of Dick Tracy (1990) by Jeremy B — 25 Nov 2008

The triumph of Warren Beatty's career and one of the finest comic book movies ever made. Dick Tracy combines brilliant art direction, exquisite makeup and dazzling original songs by the great Stephen Sondheim to painstakingly recreate the look, ambiance and values of a 1940s comic strip.

Viewers accustomed to the dark, gritty superhero epics of today might find the effect synthetic and campy, but anyone with a sense of nostalgia or an appreciation for America's cultural heritage will have a blast.

The actors certainly seem to be inspired by the creativity and uniqueness of the material, with Beatty bringing an unexpected level of emotional depth to the title character, Pacino turning in the flashiest and funniest performance of his career as the villainous Big Boy Caprice and Glenne Headley effortlessly breaking your heart and the devoted but put-upon Tess Truheart.

And if that's not enough, you get hilarious cameos from Paul Sorvino, Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Dick Van Dyke and James Caan (what a pleasure to see him and Pacino sitting on opposite sides of a very long table fighting for control of the mob!).

Heck, even the usually comatose Madonna does some decent work here. A highly underrated pleasure.