Warren Beatty
Dick Tracy

This 1990 blockbuster fell into my hands again, a film that back then topped box offices worldwide with advertising and promotions of all sorts, only to be forgotten today.

"Dick Tracy," a character created by Chester Gould in his comics back in 1931, comes to life in his latest (to date) cinematic appearance thanks to Warren Beatty, who not only directs the film but also lends his face to the square-jawed detective. Just like the comic, the movie is set in an imaginary metropolis on the U.S. East Coast during the Prohibition era: Dick Tracy, an incorruptible and utterly honest detective, always and forever at the service of justice, practically fights alone against the criminal organizations controlling the city, led by Big Boy Caprice (a magnificent Al Pacino, great in everything except stature). On the way to the obvious happy ending, Tracy will have to deal with a young orphan and vagabond (a then-popular Charlie Korsmo) whom he will take under his wing, with the worries of his innocent and eternal fiancée Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly) who would very much like a promise of marriage, with the boss's moll Breathless Mahoney (Madonna) who will try to seduce him, and with the enigmatic The Blank, a faceless man whose allegiance is unclear.

Good perpetually battling Evil, just as America wants; the distinction between the sides is clear and underscored even by the characters' physical traits, which here (exactly like in the comic) become expressions of one's inner soul. While Dick Tracy is factually handsome, athletic, and strong, the gangsters opposing him are characterized by monstrously deformed physical features: from the anvil-shaped head of Flattop (in Italian Zuccapiatta, played by William Forsythe), who on paper was one of the detective's main adversaries, to the soft, deeply wrinkled face of Pruneface (here Il Grinza, R.G. Armstrong), from the slender and corpse-like Influence (Henry Silva, of "The Italian Connection") to the accountant Numbers (James Tolkan, remember the principal from "Back to the Future"?). Even Big Boy is part of this picturesque picture, depicted as a hunchbacked little man more akin to a circus dwarf than a major crime boss, Big Boy who will weave every diabolical plan to take over the city and eliminate his arch-nemesis, who, of course, will always have an ace up his sleeve or an unexpected aid to get by. And in the end, Good always triumphs. Al Pacino's masterful performance (Oscra-nominated in the year Joe Pesci won for "Goodfellas") shows how one can single-handedly carry a film: though it is almost always true that villains are more interesting than heroes, in this case, it is also true that the hero side of the film is entirely flat; Warren Beatty too often lacks irony and completely cedes the stage to Al Pacino, whose greatness as an actor is always remembered through films like "Scarface," the "Godfather" series, "The Devil's Advocate," or the absolute masterpiece "Carlito's Way," but try watching him here, almost unrecognizable due to the 4-hour makeup session he had before filming, watch him as he shouts his mania for grandeur in everyone's face, while he (yes, he) jokes about everything and everyone, while with a wide-eyed expression he more than repays the price of admission. Unusual role, but divine outcome.

"Dick Tracy," though marketed as a family film, contains much more violence than it seems, only it is filtered through comedic pacing and the defusing of situations by the characters. Essentially, however, the film is quite modest, confused and disjointed, a strong beginning quickly loses its pace with more than one dead moment, and Madonna (who was dating Beatty at the time) is as expressive as a chair, yet it is saved by the masterful performance of some of its soloists: besides the already mentioned Pacino, Dustin Hoffman delivers an amusing performance as Mumbles, a peculiar gangster who moves somewhat behind the scenes, Paul Sorvino is Lips Manlis while James Caan plays Spaldoni (though unfortunately he gets blown up after just a few minutes). Noteworthy for the cinematography by Vittorio Storaro, who uses only the comic's primary colors, the film won three Oscars: "Best Song" ("Sooner Or Later" written by Stephen Sondheim and sung by Madonna), "Best Art Direction" and "Best Makeup." Beyond everything, enjoyable.