Starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, Glenn Headly, and Al Pacino
Directed by Warren Beatty
Music and Lyrics by Stephan Sondheim and others
While this isn't an out-and-out musical, it does have five songs by Sondheim. They're probably the most prominent work he did for films, and that alone makes this worth discussing. The Tim Burton Batman smashed all records in 1989, becoming by far the biggest hit of that year. Suddenly, all the major studios and many minor ones were combing through their archives for superheroes or comics characters who could be turned into an action extravaganza. Disney had high hopes for this, a more candy-colored and upbeat adventure straight from the Dick Tracy comic books of the 30's and 40's. How well did they and Beatty succeed? Let's start in 1938, with six of the most grotesque gamblers to ever get their faces from a Halloween mask shop playing illegal poker, and find out...
The Story: Those gamblers and their equally odd-faced boss Lips Manils (Paul Sorvino) are taken down by Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice (Pacino) and his men. Big Boy wants Manils' criminal empire for himself, including his moll, Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). The murders are witnessed by The Kid (Charlie Korsomo), a street urchin who steals for Steve the Tramp (Tony Epper). Tracy (Beatty) catches the Kid stealing a watch and arrests the Tramp for abusing him.
He doesn't have as much luck making Caprice's crimes stick. Breathless won't testify against him unless he falls for her, but Tracy's too much in love with his girl Tess Trueheart (Headly). Tess wishes Tracy would settle down, but her mother (Estelle Parsons) knows he's not happy behind a desk. Tracy manages to do better after bugging Caprice's night spot the Club Ritz...but Caprice catches on. After Tracy is framed for murdering D.A Fletcher (Dick Van Dyke) and Big Boy for kidnapping Tess, they realizes there's someone who has it in for both of them...someone who knows how they operate and wants them out of the way for good...
The Song and Dance: Along with another Disney release, The Rocketeer, this is my favorite of the stylish comic book action extravaganzas released in the early-mid 90's. They did an incredible job bringing Tracy's unfettered comic book world to life. The pounds of make up used to create those monstrous thugs and the bright rainbow crime-ridden city of the imagination surrounding them won much-deserved Oscars, as did Madonna's sultry solo "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)." Since this is just before CGI became more common, those are matte paintings and real models used to give the movie its unique look.
Pacino made a comeback here with his almost literal scenery-chewing as the head crime boss who can't understand how Tracy keeps eluding him. Madonna and Headly are also excellent as the two very different women in Tracy's life, one who wants him in bed yesterday, the other who just wants him safe. Kosomo is hilarious as the pick pocket who becomes one of Tracy's biggest advocates.
Favorite Number: "Sooner or Later" is introduced in a simple club number, a dark background to Tracy's attempt to arrest Big Boy for killing Lips. The jaunty "Live Alone and Like It," performed by Mel Torme, accompanies a montage of Tess and Tracy buying good clothes for the Kid and trying to show him a good time...but his idea of a good time involves the words "When can we eat?" constantly. "Back In Business" is a montage for the chorus depicting how Big Boy really lets his thugs loose when Tracy is jailed for killing Fletcher, terrorizing every shopkeeper in the city.
Shame we only get to see part of the big chorus routine "More." Breathless is seen leading the dancers through the catchy gold digging routine twice. Big Boy tries to keep the dancers moving through a late-night rehearsal, but even Breathless isn't feeling it. She and the girls have considerably more energy during their number at the aborted New Year's Eve party, even if we only see parts of it during Tracy's arrival and Big Boy and his gangsters trying to escape.
My favorite song here is one of Sondheim's best ballads. Madonna joins Mandy Patikin as pianist 88 Keys for the touching "What Can You Lose?" This accompanies another montage near the end, as Tracy despairs of capturing Big Boy, and Tess despairs of him ever admitting his feelings for her.
Trivia: Al Pacino designed his own make-up for Big Boy, who looks little like his enormously overweight comic strip counterpart.
While not the gigantic blockbuster Disney had hoped for, this still did fairly well during the summer of 1990 and was the biggest success of Warren Beatty's career.
Beatty did all his own stunts, including the one where he jumps off a building and accidentally smacks his face into a light pole.
Tough guy actor Mike Mazurki's last film - he can be seen briefly as the older man at the hotel.
What I Don't Like: Cool as the makeup is, they hide a ton of cameos from some of the most popular actors of the 80's and early 90's. I didn't know everyone from Kathy Bates (as the stenographer) to James Caan (as the gangster Spud Spudoni who won't work with Big Boy) appeared in this film. I know a lot of guys who came for the truly unique gangsters and wish there was more of them and less of Tracy's relationships with the leading ladies. For all they build up Tracy's rogue gallery, they don't really do much with them.
The Big Finale: One of the most underrated films of the 90's. If you're looking for something different in your superhero blockbusters or are a fan of Beatty, Madonna, Sondheim, or movies that just look cool, this trip to Tracy's rainbow world of cops and criminals is highly recommended.
Home Media: The action-movie-level violence is probably the reason this isn't currently on Disney Plus...but it's easily found everywhere else, including most streaming companies.
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