director warren beatty intention to turn chester gould famous comic strip into a live action cartoon ( with beatty himself cast in the lead a the square jaw detective ) have sweet overture of innocent nostalgia quite unusual and intrigue come from warren beatty . unfortunately and the picture be requisite ham and fun for awhile but eventually tire . dick tracy attempt to bring down mobster big boy caprice and aid by love tess trueheart but trip up by evil breathless mahoney . for the first half hour or so and the oscar win art direction and set design be wonderful to absorb but and a the plot creak along predictably ( with no real sting in the writing ) and thing begin to congeal . al pacino get a surprise support oscar nomination a bad boy caprice and and madonna ( who be mostly use a a decorative prop ) get to sing stephen sondheim sooner or later ( i always get my man ) and which cop the award for best original song . lot of heart and thanks to beatty who be dedicate to his vision but the picture be too cool and calculate . it lack heat . half from .