Dick Tracy : The Noir Edit

Bad Movies Made Less Bad Presents:
The Comic Strip Icon Recut for More Maturity - with a Little Help from Miles Davis.

Faneditor Name: Wakeupkeo

Original Movie Title: Dick Tracy

Original Release Date: 1990
Original Running Time: 106

Fanedit Release Date: June 2021
Fanedit Running Time: 89

Subtitles Available?: Yes

Reviews are not required but they are really and truly appreciated. 

Dick Tracy - The Noir Edit v2.01 2024 Quality Update LQ Stereo.mp4

Major Changes:

  • B&W as good as possible (Some scenes were originally colored so wild, this was all that could be recovered)
  • More noir vibes, more adult focus. Tracy edited to have a bit more confidence, less doubt, except when it comes to women.
  • Original songs trimmed when the narrative allows, Miles Davis added where possible.
  • Removed excess shots of bad makeup.
  • Lots of dumb lines removed or edited for pacing.
  • Big Boy lines are trimmed to seem darker and more menacing, less of a parody. (That worked well for a while. Then, he had a few jokes that landed that I couldn't remove. So Big Boy starts off more menacing, but I let Pacino off the leash after a while.)

Editing Intent:

As an adult I have never felt a ton of love for due to the outrageous color scheme, and the makeup fx were always downright nuts to me as well. Its amazing that this came out the year after the first Burton Batman movie - its a complete ripoff, blasphemous in retrospect really. I can't believe I didn't notice back then it was THIS similar to the Batman. Hindsight is 20/20.

But I was amazed at how I could actually appreciate everything in this movie without all the color - even the makeup isn't quite as bad - it seems like THE PERFECT movie that a Young Bruce Wayne would have watched. There are so many similarities to Batman, besides of course the Elfman soundtrack: Big Boy seems like a hybrid of the Joker and the Penguin, Dick Tracy seems like Batman if he were a cop, the "Kid" is basically Robin. Elliot Ness similarities, sure, but this is a superhero before there were superheroes. Its so weird how much this copies and tries to be a prequel. I don't think I noticed before with all the color and ridiculous makeup. But it also hit some pretty iconic "noir" beats too.

Cut List:

WARNING: YOU MUST OWN THE ORIGINAL FILM BEFORE VIEWING THESE EDITS!

BadMoviesMadeLessBad.com takes copyright infringement seriously. We respect copyright holders, therefore when commercially available sources exist, Faneditors and viewers of fanedits MUST own a copy of the source material. Always purchase your official release Blu-Rays, DVDs and digital releases from a licensed vendor. Fanediting is strictly a not-for-profit activity, and you must never pay anyone to obtain or watch any fanedit. If you have ever paid to watch any of these edits, visit the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center to file a report, or notify an administrator at BadMoviesMadeLessBad.com