More Dick for someone to enjoy (Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (DVD))

Member Name: Ailran

Product:	Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (DVD)
Date:	04/06/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not much really. Interesting curio

Disadvantages: Vitamin, the 'mystery' element, most of the film

Dick Tracy first appeared in 1931, the creation of cartoonist Chester Gould. The intelligent, hard nosed cop was a mainstay in newspapers from that date onwards written and drawn by Gould himself for close on 46 years, finally giving up having at least some involvement in his strip and hanging up his pen and pencil in 1977.

Tracy became a national icon and forged a career catching criminals in a whole host of media during the 30's and 40's. He had a long running radio career that spanned almost 15 years, starred in 4 movie serials between 1937 and 1941 and then 4 B-movies between 195-47.
He made a brief return to prominence in 1990 when a spectacularly colourful movie starring Warren Beatty and Madonna was released, though it was pretty faithful to the character it did crash and burn quite spectacularly.

Tracy always had a couple of regular co-stars, his girlfriend Tess Trueheart and his partner Detective Pat Patton, who always helped and hindered him in his crook catching enterprise.

Dick Tracy Vs Cueball is not that dissimilar a movie to the original eponymous titled one released the year before. Last time around a villain by the name of Splitface (Tracy was known for his bizarre villains) this time the denizens of the city are tormented by the bald headed Cueball.

Cueball is a thug, a hired henchman paid to 'relieve' a man of a fortune in diamonds. He goes a bit too far and kills the man, which unsettles his employers no end. Because of this they refuse to pay him for the diamonds that are now part of a murder investigation... an investigation led by the one and only Dick Tracy and his trusty assistant, and best friend, Pat Patton.
As Tracy tries to find the murderer Cueball has his own agenda. He wants to make sure that he gets his money and he doesn't care what he has to do to get it, which doesn't sound pleasant for the people who owe him.

Dick Tracy Vs. Cueball gives us the second appearance of Morgan
Conway as the titular detective, and includes all the expected supporting characters... Pat Patton, Tess Trueheart (Dick's 'gal') and 'junior' (Dick's ward/friend/son/who knows) are all back, though a new actress plays Tess this time around.

The downside cast wise this time though is the introduction of a faux Shakespearian actor type, Vitamin, to Tracy's entourage. While the character is quite a good one he is just there for light comedic moments, a part already taken by Patton. He is a pointless addition to the cast and just grates the more you see him. In fact comedic moments seems to be the aim this adventure, Patton being involved in some very stupid situations designed to give a quick laugh.

These moments take away a lot of the mystery and crime elements of the story by breaking into it and relieving the excitement that was beginning to build up. Because of this, for me, Vs. Cueball doesn't really work at all. The mystery element is lacking completely and the investigation is hampered by the most ludicrous bit of logic ever seen in a non comedy film. A vital piece of evidence that leads to Cueball being uncovered as the killer just defies belief. If you actually try to work out the jump in logic that Tracy makes it will send your brain into apoplexy.

Even apart from this Vs. Cueball isn't close to being up there amongst the best of the 30's and 40's B movie detective films. Considering the appeal that a Tracy film would have had you would have thought they would have been able to come up with a better storyline for him. When you compare this to even the worst of the Boston Blackie or Falcon movies this is a pale copy.
The only reason I can think of for this being such a mess compared to its competitors is that Tracy is such a strait laced, strong jawed kind of character that the comedy style of those movies really doesn't work that well with him. Whatever it is even with the short running time, just over an hour, the film drags. It never builds up any sort of tension or excitement and the mystery side is null and void because you, as the viewer, know exactly what is going on and Cueball's reasons behind what he is doing.

Any potential that is built up, especially in one scene in a small room where Cueball is trapped is ruined by the apparent need to make Patton a complete imbecile who would never have lasted as a cop let alone become a detective.

It is a shame the story is so bad as there are some good looking sets which seem to be designed specifically to create even more shadows for characters to hide in. A bar that seems to cater to criminals and the side street around it are the best examples but there isn't a good enough use of what quality they do have.

As a sequel to Dick Tracy this just isn't good enough, but then it isn't really any good as a B movie mystery either. Hopefully they learnt from this movie and the third one is a major improvement on it.

Summary: A sad entry into B movie detective films of the 30's