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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Visually Stunning But Incredibly Static, 10 Sep 2003
Less than a decade earlier, Warren Beatty directed himself to considerable critical acclaim in the film REDS. But with 1990's DICK TRACY he stumbled badly: although it received considerable hype and numerous critical accolades for its art and sound design, the film fizzled at the box office, and these days you are more likely to find the film in a retail bargain bin than in some one's personal collection.Even so, DICK TRACY isn't as bad as its detractors often claim. The film has several things going for it, most particularly that deservedly lauded art design, which seeks to recreate the look and feel of "golden age" comic books. Built in largely primary color and with a tremendous sense of line, the designs are among the most striking of the 1990s. The make-up designs, which go to considerable length to recreate the look of the comic book characters, are also enjoyable. The film also has several memorable performances, and the most notable among these comes from someone who is has had little success on the big screen: Madonna. As femme fatale "Breathless Mahoney," she looks good, has the best lines and delivers them with considerable spirit, and flawlessly performs the complex musical numbers specifically written for her by the legendary Stephen Sondheim. ("Sooner or Later" may be single best thing she's done on film.) Glenne Headly, as Tracy's steady girl Tess, also makes an impression, as do many of the cameo performers, who range from Dustin Hoffman to Kathy Bates and from Estelle Parsons to James Caan. But for all its memorable visuals and the occasional outstanding performance, DICK TRACY is an incredibly static film. Although the art designers did a terrific job in capturing the look of comic book graphics, the cinematographer miscalculated in repeating the look in terms of camera setups, which are presented in a flat-frame style calculated to recreate comic book frames. The result is a host of beautiful images without any motion dynamic at all, and over the course of its run the film develops a static quality that I personally found absolutely exhausting. The script doesn't help very much either. The story finds our hero trying to put away Big Boy Caprice and being tempted away from Tess by Breathless in the process--and that's really all you can say about it one way or another. And with one or two exceptions aside, the dialogue is as uninspired as the plot. What with the camera locked down like the Rock of Gibraltar and the script dead in the water, it's hardly surprising that most of the performers reacted by offering performances so incredibly broad that most of their efforts feel acutely forced. I can understand why many people admire and even enjoy the film, but by the time the final credits rolled I myself was glad to see it go, and I'd recommend that you either borrow it or rent it before you go so far as to buy it. As for the DVD, the picture and sound quality are great, but there are no extras of any kind. --GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--
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