April 02, 2002 // The Dick Tracy movie is released on DVD in the USA.

Dick Tracy movie now on DVD - The Dick Tracy movie is released on DVD in the USA. 

  Dick Tracy is a 1990 American action film based on the 1930s comic strip character of the same name created by Chester Gould. Warren Beatty produced, directed, and starred in the film, which features supporting roles from Al Pacino, Charles Durning, Madonna, Dustin Hoffman, William Forsythe, Glenne Headly, Paul Sorvino, Dick Van Dyke, and Charlie Korsmo. Dick Tracy depicts the detective's love relationships with Breathless Mahoney and Tess Truehart, as well as his conflicts with crime boss Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice. Tracy also begins his upbringing of "The Kid."

Development of the film started in the early 1980s with Tom Mankiewicz assigned to write the script. The screenplay would instead be crafted by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr., both of Top Gun fame. The project also went through directors Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Walter Hill, and Richard Benjamin before the arrival of Beatty. Filming was mostly at Universal Studios. Danny Elfman was hired to compose the film score, and the music was featured on three separate soundtrack albums.

Dick Tracy was released in 1990 to mixed reviews, but was generally a success at the box office and at awards time. It picked up seven Academy Award nominations and won in three of the categories: Best Original Song, Best Makeup and Best Art Direction. A sequel was planned, but a controversy over the film rights ensued between Beatty and Tribune Media Services, and the lawsuit continues, so a second film has not been produced.

Plot

At an illegal card game, a young street urchin (Charlie Korsmo) witnesses the massacre of a group of mobsters named Shoulders (Stig Eldred), Stooge (Jim Wilkey), the Rodent (Neil Summers), the Brow (Chuck Hicks) and Little Face (Lawrence Steven Meyers) at the hands of Flattop (William Forsythe) and Itchy (Ed O'Ross), two of the hoods on the payroll of Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice (Al Pacino). Big Boy's crime syndicate is aggressively taking over small businesses in the city. Detective Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) catches the urchin (who calls himself "Kid") in an act of petty theft. After rescuing him from a ruthless host, Tracy temporarily adopts him with the help of his girlfriend, Tess Truehart (Glenne Headly).

Meanwhile, Big Boy coerces club owner Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino) into signing over the deed to Club Ritz. He then kills Lips with a cement overcoat(referred to onscreen as "The Bath") and steals his girlfriend, the seductive and sultry singer, Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). After Lips is reported missing, Tracy interrogates his three hired guns Flattop, Itchy, and Mumbles (Dustin Hoffman), then goes to the club to arrest Big Boy for Lips' murder. Breathless is the only witness. Instead of providing testimony, she unsuccessfully attempts to seduce Tracy. Big Boy cannot be indicted and he is released from jail. Big Boy's next move is to try to bring other criminals, including Spud Spaldoni (James Caan), Pruneface (R. G. Armstrong), Influence (Henry Silva), Texie Garcia (Catherine O'Hara), Ribs Mocca (Robert Beecher), and Numbers (James Tolkan), together under his leadership. Spaldoni refuses and meets an untimely demise upon exiting (via a carbomb), leaving Dick Tracy, who discovered the meeting and was attempting to spy on it, wondering what is going on. Next day, Big Boy and his henchmen kidnap Tracy and attempt to bribe him; Tracy refuses, prompting the criminals to attempt to kill him by tying him next to a boiler rigged to explode. However Tracy is saved by Kid, who gets prized by the police with a Honorary Detective Cerificate, which will remain temporary until he decides a name for himself.

Tracy tries again to get the testimony from Breathless he needs to put Big Boy away. She agrees to testify only if Tracy agrees to give in to her advances. He resists, despite his growing attraction. Tracy leads a seemingly unsuccessful raid on Club Ritz, but it's actually a diversion so officer "Bug" Bailey (Michael J. Pollard) can enter the building to operate a secretly installed listening device so the police can hear in on Big Boy's criminal activities. The resultant raids all but wipe out Big Boy's criminal empire. Unfortunately, Big Boy discovers Bug and captures him for a trap planned by Influence and Pruneface to kill Tracy in the warehouse. In the resulting gun battle, a figure with no face (known as "The Blank") steps out of the shadows to save Tracy after he is cornered and kills Pruneface. Influence escapes as Tracy rescues Bug from the same fate given to Lips Manlis, and Big Boy is enraged upon hearing that The Blank foiled the hit. Meanwhile, Breathless shows up at Tracy's apartment, once again in an attempt to seduce him. Tracy shows he is only human by allowing her to kiss him. Tess witnesses this and leaves town. She eventually has a change of heart, but before she can tell Tracy, she is kidnapped by The Blank, with the help of Big Boy's club piano player, 88 Keys (Mandy Patinkin). Tracy falls victim to another trap. He is drugged by The Blank and framed for the murder of corrupt District Attorney John Fletcher (Dick Van Dyke). Judge Harper (Frank Campanella) has Dick Tracy remanded with no bail.

Big Boy is back in business, but he, too, is framed, in this case for Tess' kidnapping. Sprung from jail by his colleagues on New Year's Eve, Tracy sets out to save his true love with the help of the Kid, who now calls himself "Dick Tracy, Jr.". He arrives at a shootout outside Big Boy's club where all of Big Boy's men are gunned down by the police and Tracy himself. Abandoning his crew, Big Boy ties Tess to the mechanism of a drawbridge, but he is confronted by both the Blank and Tracy. Desperate to escape, he shoots the Blank. Enraged, Tracy pushes Caprice and sends him falling to his death in the bridge gears. Beneath the faceless figure's mask, Tracy is shocked to find Breathless Mahoney, who kisses him and breathes her last breath. He then frees his girlfriend and his name is cleared from the murder of Fletcher. Later, in the middle of a marriage proposal to Tess, Tracy is interrupted by a robbery in progress, and takes off with Dick Tracy Jr.

Cast

Main characters

Warren Beatty as Dick Tracy: Square-jawed detective sporting a yellow overcoat and fedora. He is heavily committed to break the organized crime that infests in the city. In addition, Tracy is in line to become the chief of police, which he scorns as a "desk job".

Al Pacino as Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice: The main antagonist and the leading crime boss of the city. Although he is involved with numerous criminal activities, they remain unproven, as Tracy has never been able to catch him in the act or find a witness to testify.

Madonna as Breathless Mahoney: An entertainer at Club Ritz who wants to steal Tracy from his girlfriend. She is also the sole witness to several of Caprice's crimes and is eventually revealed to be The Blank.

Glenne Headly as Tess Trueheart: Dick Tracy's girlfriend. She feels that Tracy cares more for his job than for her.

Charlie Korsmo as The Kid: A scrawny street orphan who survives by eating out of garbage cans. He falls into the life of both Tracy and Trueheart and becomes an ally.

Law enforcement

Seymour Cassel as Sam Catchem: Tracy's closest associate.

Michael J. Pollard as Bug Bailey: A surveillance expert.

Charles Durning as Chief Brandon: The chief of police, who supports Tracy's crusade.

Dick Van Dyke as District Attorney John Fletcher: A district attorney who refuses to prosecute Caprice; it is later revealed that Caprice is blackmailing him.

Frank Campanella as Judge Harper

The mob

Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles: Caprice's fast-talking henchman.

William Forsythe as Flattop: Caprice's top hitman. His most distinguishing feature is his square, flat cranium and matching haircut.

Ed O'Ross as Itchy: Caprice's other hitman. He is usually paired with Flattop.

James Tolkan as Numbers: Caprice's accountant.

Mandy Patinkin as 88 Keys: A piano player at Club Ritz who becomes The Blank's minion.

R. G. Armstrong as Pruneface: A deformed crime boss who becomes one of Caprice's minions. He is shot to death by the Blank.

Henry Silva as Influence: Pruneface's sinister top gunman who accompanies Pruneface in siding with Caprice.

Paul Sorvino as Lips Manlis: The original owner of Club Ritz and Caprice's mentor. He is killed by Caprice upon signing his assets over to him.

James Caan as Spud Spaldoni: A crime boss who refuses to submit to Caprice, and dies in a car bomb.

Catherine O'Hara as Texie Garcia: A female criminal who submits to Caprice.

Robert Beecher as Ribs Mocca: A criminal who submits to Caprice.

Hamilton Camp appears as a store owner. Robert Costanzo cameos as Lips Manlis' bodyguard. Allen Garfield, John Schuck, and Charles Fleischer make cameos as reporters. Walker Edmiston, John Moschitta, Jr., and Neil Ross provide the voices of each radio announcer. Mike Mazurki (who played Splitface in the original Dick Tracy film) appears in a small cameo.