In recent years the comic book film has become ubiquitous and seemingly every studio’s least common denominator to make some fast cash from nostalgic nerds or dudes who get a boner from special effects. We’ve seen every incarnation of Batman, the X-Men show their lil’ mutant faces every few years. Watchmen was turned into Zack Snyder’s 186 minute messy wet dream*, and Spider-man has not so gracefully glided and then dangled onto Broadway and is getting a big screen reboot next year. So let’s revisit a simpler time. A time when comic book movies weren’t a dime a dozen and when every hero didn’t wear a body suit because real men wear shoulder pads.
Warren Beatty not only donned that canary yellow suit and fedora but he also directed Dick Tracy. I like to imagine him staring at his reflection in a bathroom mirror shouting “You are Dick Tracy!!!” (voice cracking slightly) and then splashing icy water on his face before sobbing into a whiskey with one melting ice cube. I made that up but you know it happened. By comic book movie standards Dick Tracy works, especially in it’s visuals and art direction (for which it won an Oscar). I’ve read that Beatty limited the palette to only six saturated colors to match the comic’s original colors. The solid backgrounds and punchy colors are also reminscent of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1966 caper Made In U.S.A.
Then there’s the execution of all of the characters: a motley crew of criminals led by a fish lipped Paul Sorvino and a hunchbacked pin-striped Al Pacino. Each with their own mean mug (courtesy of amazing movie makeup) and one common goal: to get Tracy out of the picture. But even with all these haters Tracy has a few women who love him. A sweet redhead named Tess Trueheart who’s always there for him, and an ever persistent Breathless Mahoney (Madge, ya look gooooood!) with an endless supply of body hugging dresses and champagne. My biggest gripe, one too many musical montages (and I love a montage) but it’s still a gem, and an excuse for one to look for Dick Tracy puffy stickers on eBay. Don’t you dare outbid me.
*the trailer still kills though.
