Dick Tracy (1990)
65%RT Audience Score: 53%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
9 wins & 36 nominations total
Dick Tracy is stylish, unique, and an undeniable technical triumph, but it ultimately struggles to rise above its two-dimensional artificiality
If you’re looking for a movie that’s visually stunning but lacking in substance, then Dick Tracy is the perfect film for you. It’s got all the style and pizzazz of a comic book come to life, but unfortunately, the plot falls a bit flat. Still, it’s worth a watch just to see Warren Beatty’s vision of this classic character, and to appreciate the artistry that went into creating such a vibrant world. Plus, Madonna’s performance as Breathless Mahoney is a real highlight – she’s the perfect femme fatale to keep you on the edge of your seat. Overall, Dick Tracy is a fun and flashy ride that’s sure to entertain, even if it doesn’t quite live up to its potential.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Star Thrower Entertainment, Westbrook Studios,
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios – 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1990
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 15, 1990 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2004
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Charlie Korsmo, Glenne Headly, directed by Warren Beatty, written by Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr., action, PG, box office, Buena Vista Pictures, reviewed by Gene Siskel, Bob Thomas, Keith Phipps, Owen Gleiberman, Quentin Crisp, David Reddish, Warren Beatty as producer, Danny Elfman as composer, Chester Gould as original creator, comic book adaptation, crime, gangsters, two-dimensional, artificiality, Breathless Mahoney, Kid, Mumbles, Tess Trueheart, Big Boy Caprice, detective, hard-boiled, evidence, illegal empire, enigmatic barroom singer, witnessed crimes, girlfriend, moral tone, artistic vision, self-contained story, graphic novel, noir tribute, complex design, colorful palette, Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice, professional and emotional conflicts, organized crime, gangster genre, action and adventure, over-the-top villains, surrealness, Danny Elfman score, Sondheim songs, heavy make-up, top horror movies, MCU movies ranked, Netflix series, TV premiere dates
Worldwide gross: $162,738,726
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $375,176,129
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 405
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 40,913,427
US/Canada gross: $103,738,726
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $239,158,156
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 276
US/Canada opening weekend: $22,543,911
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $51,972,493
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 214
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $47,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $108,353,300
Production budget ranking: 359
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $58,348,252
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $208,474,576
ROI to date (est.): 125%
ROI ranking: 841
Madonna – Breathless Mahoney
Charlie Korsmo – Kid
Glenne Headly – Tess Trueheart
Al Pacino – Big Boy Caprice
Dustin Hoffman – Mumbles
Director(s)
Warren Beatty
Writer(s)
Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.
Producer(s)
Warren Beatty
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
9 wins & 36 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Art Direction Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Makeup Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Original Song Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (20)
A visual delight and a dramatic letdown.
June 23, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Forget the plot. The essence of Dick Tracy lies in characters and style, and there it exceeds last summer’s clunky, over-produced Batman.
August 8, 2019
Bob Thomas
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
The film moves at a chug when it should put the pedal to the floor.
July 7, 2010
Keith Phipps
Slate
TOP CRITIC
Beatty and his team of collaborators have heightened the vibrantly tawdry urban night world of Chester Gould’s classic comic strip.
July 7, 2010 | Rating: B-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Though it looks ravishing, Warren Beatty’s longtime pet project is a curiously remote, uninvolving film.
April 23, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Forget the hype. Now for the real question: How’s the damn movie? Answer: Pretty darn swell.
April 7, 2008
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
For all its violence, it remains jolly, its boisterous moral tone softened here and there by moments of cautious sentimentality.
April 5, 2022
Quentin Crisp
Christopher Street
Viewed today amid the superhero franchise onslaught, Dick Tracy has a refreshing quality to it. The film dares to have a strong identity, artistic vision and to tell a self-contained story rather than one made to hype sequels, crossovers or sell toys.
March 20, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Reddish
Queerty
An exciting and humorous adventure film that appears to be ripped straight out of the pages of a graphic novel.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
This is a larger-than-life comic strip come-to-life, and its success comes from Warren Beatty making all the right moves to make the ultimate Dick Tracy movie.
May 27, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Aaron Neuwirth
We Live Entertainment
Dick Tracy is a painted globe of a movie. Lushly artistic on the surface but resoundingly hollow, it bounces around aimlessly and finally ricochets right off the audience into oblivion, leaving hardly a trace.
May 20, 2020
Bruce C. Steele
OutWeek
The whole thing is very surface and frequently boring.
March 14, 2020
Germain Lussier
io9.com…
Plot
All Tess Trueheart wants is to settle down to a quiet life with her boyfriend, detective Dick Tracy. But there’s something pretty rotten going on in town, with someone pretty rotten behind it, and Tracy has his hands full with the likes of villain Big Boy Caprice and with the almost irresistible Breathless Mahoney.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Al Pacino delivers an over-the-top and charismatic performance as the villainous Big Boy Caprice.
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