Through the glut of comic book movies released over the past 30 years, Disney’s Dick Tracy still has a chance to be the best. The colorful comic strip adaptation boasted an all-star cast and a lavish production design, and Dick Tracy acted as a refreshing throwback to a more whimsical and simpler period of Hollywood filmmaking. Though often praised for these superficial perks, the movie additionally had a spirit and sincerity that was largely ignored by contemporary critics and audiences; it failed to achieve the reception and legacy that Disney and star Warren Beatty had hoped.
A film adaptation of the Dick Tracy comic strip was a growing inevitability throughout the 1980s. Hollywood’s lucrative trends of action blockbusters, comic book titles, and neo-noir all pointed to Dick Tracy as a potential hit property, which Disney finally responded to after the success of 1989's Batman. A great fan of the Dick Tracy comic, Beatty took the movie to heart, producing, directing, and starring as the titular hero. He even helped the project’s clout by recruiting some of the most popular or respected stars of the time including Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Madonna, and James Caan.
Narratively however, the final movie perhaps leaves something to be desired. Critics fairly focused on the film’s lack of character depth and somewhat simplistic plot, but there was also an unwarranted dismissal of the movie in the years afterwards. Like comic adaptation.
Dick Tracy Has An Unabashed Love For Its Source Material
Demonstrated by almost every element of the film, Dick Tracy has the utmost respect for its source material as well as the surrounding influences. Outside of its visual loyalty to Chester Gould's comic, Beatty took notes from classic Hollywood thrillers of the 30s and 40s. He peppered Dick Tracy with quirky editing wipes, dutch angles, torch song numbers, stylistic montages, and a simple black and white morality to match its light-hearted tone. The movie’s genuine attempt to marry its 30s setting with a classic Hollywood style amounted to a rich, original and nostalgic picture that is rarely seen in big-budget cinema.
Additionally, every major character is sourced from the comic strip and creative liberties are scarce. Tracy, Breathless Mahoney (Madonna), Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), and Big Boy Caprice (Pacino) are all memorable renditions of their comic counterparts. While some feel Beatty was too old for the role, he retains Tracy’s cool and occasional disregard of authority to uphold his own staunch morals, unafraid to bend the rules to bring Pacino’s Big Boy to justice. Despite its period style, Dick Tracy happily takes advantage of 90s' permissiveness, incorporating urban violence and some racy dialogue that would never have made it ed 30s censors
Dick Tracy has a tongue-in-cheek approach, but it never extends to outright mockery or disdain for the material. If rebooted today, Dick Tracy’s universe would likely fall victim to a gritty and straight-faced reimagining, devoid of anything that made Beatty’s version likeable. Indeed, Dick Tracy’s appeal is its knowing lack of pretense; there’s no snarky attempt to be smarter or more righteous than the comic. Instead, the comic’s absurdity is lovingly embraced. The script winks at the audience without feeling like a campy pastiche, retaining respect for the source material as well as an internal verisimilitude.
The Movie Evolved Imaginative World Building
Where the worlds of Batman and Blade Runner had some realistic touches, Dick Tracy fabricated a fictitiously whimsical universe. Beatty took the classic 30s noir aesthetic combined with colorful costumes and neon lighting, but even went as far to use the limited color palette that classic Dick Tracy artists were bound to (specifically yellow, purple, green, red, orange, and purple). The art direction also contributed to Dick Tracy’s world, incorporating bright sets and props, as well as beautifully unreal matte paintings, which only aided the film’s scope and pulpy canvas.
Makeup further propels the film’s absurdist humor. The prosthetics are imaginatively realized and appropriately goofy, with each villain moulded after Gould’s designs. Standouts include Flattop’s square skull and Little Face, a bulbous-headed gambler killed in the opening sequence.
Beatty deliberately packed the movie with villains in case there were no sequels. Even if the film seems crowded, the building blocks are established for a wider universe. In hindsight, Dick Tracy feels like a precursor to the MCU's formula, setting up locations and characters long before they're fully fleshed out. It's a tragedy that Dick Tracy couldn't realize similar potential, but it at least made a bold effort to do so.
It Was A ion Project Like No Other
Though Dick Tracy might have began life as a Disney cash-grab, the enlistment of Beatty turned it into a ionate venture that remains unseen in the comic book genre. His power in Hollywood prevented too much studio interference and allowed the film an auteur’s streamlined approach. Indeed, to be a comic fan overseeing production with an Orson Welles-like control is a privilege that modern franchise directors can only dream of.
Beatty’s ion extended beyond the movie’s underperformance, and for years he tried to produce a sequel that was repeatedly barred by rights issues. But if no trace of Dick Tracy can be seen directly, clues to his influence can be detected. Dick Tracy and Batman solidified the 90s comic book movie, which was ultimately an awkward decade for the genre, but the better films of the era - The Crow and nostalgia, which studios now try and mimic every year with safe, reference-filled sequels to beloved films of old.
A golden age of superhero films might be underway, but Dick Tracy still has some lessons to teach them. It serves as a vital handbook for any filmmaker interested in adaptation. The adventurous spirit, respectfully produced universe, memorable characters, and dashes of danger and humor demonstrate a perfect balance of whimsy and suspense, and Dick Tracy proved that playful comic book films can take their ambitions seriously and still serve up a darn good time in the process.
