Everyone should have a friend, but a cat’s head growing out of your chest is a bit outre.
Dick Tracy’s Dilemma (1947) is a movie based on the classic comic strip, featuring the police detective following clues in a murder and theft of valuable furs. He’s on the tail of a brutal and tough low-life, somehow connected to the crime scene, while the low-life is following up his own set of clues that will lead to … Dick Tracy.
Even though his girlfriend, Tess Trueheart – yes, you read that right,
T R U E H E A R T
– barely exists in this story, despite getting second billing and doing nothing amazing, an irritating sidekick, a “friend” who I thought was Tracy’s butler, which was ridiculous, and who chewed the scenery something fierce, and some cheesy dialog, this was a surprisingly satisfying flick. This is no simple read the clues and wrap-up the problem: people dash desperately down alleyways to survive, pulling trick after trick; the clues are ambiguous, at least for Tracy, and, hey, no computers. That “war dialer” sure had sore fingers!
I won’t recommend it, but, ya know, I have no regrets watching this one. If only the lead actor had that square jaw like the cartoon strips did…
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