Dick Tracy, Detective (a.k.a. Dick Tracy) is a 1945 American Film Noir pulp action film based on the Dick Tracy comic strip created by Chester Gould. The film is the first of four installment of the Dick Tracy film series, released by RKO Pictures.
Dick Tracy is faced with a series of brutal murders in which the victims, all from different social and economic backgrounds, are viciously slashed to pieces by the one known as Splitface.
Suspects abound but Tracy, getting a clue that there will be fifteen murders in all, must find the common thread among the victims before more are killed.
Tropes:
- And the Adventure Continues: The film ends with Tracy and Tess about to go out for their long-delayed dinner. As they are about to leave, Pat dashes in and tells Tracy a taxi driver has just been murdered. As Tracy and Pat rush out to investigate, Tess mutters "Here We Go Again!".
- Banging for Help: Bound and Gagged in the boiler room of an abandoned steamboat, Junior manages to grab one of the ropes that releases coal from the bunker and yank it. The coal spilling out on the floor creates a clatter that Tracy hears.
- Bound and Gagged: Splitface keeps the captive Tess and Junior bound and gagged in the boiler-room of the abandoned steamboat he is using as hideout.
- Disproportionate Retribution: In addition to the jurors who actually convicted him of murder, Splitface is out to murder the two alternates, who sat through his trial but didn't actually vote to convict. This comes across as excessive and brutal, to say the least.
- Faint in Shock: Tess faints when she looks up and sees the Splitface looming over her; his deformed visage leering at her and a huge knife clutched in his hand.
- Forgotten First Meeting: The mayor served on the same jury as the murder victims back when he was a humble grocer, but never realizes this while discussing the murders and threatening letters with the police.
- Here We Go Again!: This is Tess's reaction when Dick is about to finally take her out to dinner, but instead races out with Pat to investigate a new murder.
- Outside Ride: When Tess is kidnapped, Junior jumps on to the rear bumper of Splitface's car and clings on to the spare tyre.
- Pretty in Mink: Tess wears a mink coat when she dresses up to the nines when Dick takes her out for dinner at the Paradise Club.
- Psycho Knife Nut: Splitface hacks his victims to death with a surgeon's knife stolen from an undertakers.
- Right Behind Me: After the Mayor's life is threatened, Tracy is on the phone to Tess and tells her that the Mayor is just a figurehead and that no one listens to him. As he is saying this, the Mayor and the Chief of Police enter his office behind him. As soon as he hangs up the phone, the Mayor starts fuming at him.
- Role Called: Dick Tracy, Detective
- Running Gag: Dick keeps making dinner dates with Tess, only to be called out to another hungry, leaving Tess stranded and hungry.
- Spinning Paper: Used to show the hysteria generated by Splitface's murder spree.
- Two-Faced: Splitface's face is bisected by a vicious, jagged scar.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Nightclub owner Steve Owens disappears half way through the film and his character's relationship to the story is never adequately explained; his daughter, Judith Owens is also abandoned without any explanation of her involvement in the proceedings.
