Movie Review: Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946)
Synopsis: Much to the dismay of Tess Trueheart, Dick Tracy's birthday celebration is interrupted by the murder of a man transporting $300,000 in diamonds enroute to jeweler Jules Sparkle. Tracy immediately begins to suspect an inside job and investigates two of Sparkle's employees, Mona Clyde and Simon Little. This soon puts him in the path of the man who committed the murder, Cueball, and eventually puts Tess's life in danger.
Who's in it? The movie stars Morgan Conway, Anne Jeffreys, Lyle Latell, Dick Wessel and Paula Corday.
Review: I wasn't certain if I would even have an opportunity to watch a movie this morning so, once I realized I did, I stuck to something familiar and gave Dick Tracy vs. Cueball a try. I had enjoyed the first Dick Tracy film in this series more than expected and, while this sequel wasn't quite as good, it still turned out to be an OK watch.
Unlike the first movie, which had a bit of mystery relating to motive, this film was pretty clear cut as far as the plot went. Cueball (Wessel) steals diamonds for a group of criminals consisting of Mona Clyde (Corday), Simon Little (Byron Foulger) and Percival Priceless (Douglas Walton) and because of the unplanned murder and Dick Tracy (Conway) being hot on the trail, finds himself growing increasingly desperate when the people who hired him can't come up with the money to pay him.
I think the thing this movie does do well during all of this is introduce the viewer to the depths of the criminal underworld Tracy faces as well as some secondary characters/Dick Tracy allies. For example, you have Filthy Flora's (Esther Howard) hidden room reserved for criminals as well as other services and a great scene with Vitamin Flintheart (Ian Keith) spying for Tracy by posing as an obnoxious antique collector.
The movie did make me question the usefulness of Tracy's partner, Pat Patton (Latell). From a movie standpoint, he is obviously the comic relief. However, if he's pairing up with the police department's best detective, I would expect him to be able to contribute something. Instead, his bumbling hurt the investigation a lot more than he was helping it. Though, to be fair, the fact he was accused of being drunk by two random police officers without any evidence did make me wonder if it was a department-wide issue and Tracy is only the best because everyone else is so terrible.
The movie's final scene was also lacking a bit in my opinion. There is some suspense, but it is short-lived and the chase scene between Tracy and Cueball loses steam quickly.
I also found myself questioning the logic of getting Tess involved with the sting operation. It seemed like such an unnecessary risk that needlessly put her life in danger. You can't tell me there wasn't anyone else who could have posed as a buyer. Honestly, after having her life put in danger twice in two movies, I am really having a hard time understanding what she sees in him.
Final Opinion: It wasn't as good as the first movie but did have some entertaining and exciting moments. There were a few things I would have changed, especially how it ends, but didn't regret watching it.
My Grade: B
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1946:
Movie Review: Shadow of a Woman (1946)
Movie Review: House of Horrors (1946)
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