I have always had a love/hate relationship with comic book films. Most of the time, they are just another action movie looking for an excuse to push the limits on special effects and makeup. Most of the time, this isn't enough to make the movie watchable. Lately, comic book movies have become increasingly bloody. I don't particularly like going to the show to see senseless violence and destruction. I can see enough of that on the 24 hour news networks. However, comic book films' saving grace is the fact that they are almost hyper stylized. This is the case with Dick Tracy.
The plot is forgettable, and the characters are rather one dimensional, but visually, the film is stunning. As a director, Warren Beatty makes you feel as though you've entered the pages of a comic book. The proportions of the world around the characters is off, making them appear larger than life. The colors are much more vivid than anything you would see in the real world, but undoubtedly, it is the makeup that steels the show. Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffmann, Paul Sorvino, and Mandy Patinkin all play mobsters in the film. Under layers of disfiguring makeup, you would never guess it's them.
While I wouldn't call Dick Tracy as a cinematic classic, it was enjoyable. For a film that relies so heavily on visual spectacle, it has held up fairly well to the test of time.
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