jokerswild1 Out of RKO's four Dick Tracy films, I would say this is the best. Ralph Byrd makes his return as Dick Tracy for the first time since the serials, and does a bit better than Morgan Conway in the role. Lyle Latell appeared as Tracy's partner Pat Patton in all four films, and is a strong aspect of each film. Sightless is a fun addition, and Ian Keith is quite entertaining as Vitamin Flintheart. The Claw is a great villain with a lot of presence, but I slightly prefer Splitface from "Dick Tracy, Detective".What elevates this above the other three is the cinematography, the others were visually pleasing as well, but this one makes the greatest use of the city and especially the shadows.

Henry Kujawa 3rd of 4 RKO films. Okay, but not as good as the previous two. Vitamin's back, but dumber than before. Pat's still there, as dumb as ever. NO Junior. And classy Tess has been replaced with cutie Tess. (You wish they'd hold onto the same actors for the duration of a series, don't you?) The big change is... Morgan Conway was replaced by the guy HE replaced, Ralph Byrd, allegedly, because the "exhibitors" made a stink and INSISTED on it.I dunno. "Everybody" says Byrd's the best, Byrd "looks just like Tracy". The jaw, maybe. Conway's got THE EYES. And more... Conway had LOTS MORE personality and charisma. It didn't matter in the serial I saw-- that was 90% ACTION, ACTION, ACTION! But put Tracy in a film-noir murder mystery with the actual cast of characters from the comics, and you need more that that. But I guess I'm in the minority.But hey. I liked TIMOTHY DALTON as Bond, too. (AND George Lazenby!)These run very formula. Mystery, character humor, lots of brutal killings, and a sicko doing most of them who gets his in the end. Last time the guy was HIT by a SPEEDING TRAIN! This time, it's ELECTROCUTION. By accident. Bet that hurt! Wouldn't you know it? I can't find my copy of DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME. Seems every time I try to watch a set of tapes, at least ONE of them goes missing. (Grrrrrrrr.)

gftbiloxi Originated by Chester Gould's syndicated comic strip, Dick Tracy has been a durable cinematic character with appearances ranging from 1930s serials to an over-hyped 1990 blockbuster-style motion picture starring Warren Beatty and Madonna--but the character's film appearances are perhaps most fondly recalled from the 1940s RKO Pictures series. Written with stacco dialogue and seldom running more than an hour, they were welcome "B" movies at almost every matinée.Clocking in at exactly sixty minutes, DILEMMA plays out a fast clip. A fur heist and insurance scam turns deadly when a criminal employs "The Claw"--and not only does the movie rack up an impressive body count, it has considerably more suspense than the usual Dick Tracy flick. Ralph Byrd, who frequently played Dick Tracy, is quite good, but the edge of this film comes from the supporting cast: Jack Lambeth's the Claw is memorably dark; Ian Keith, a noted stage actor whose film credits include QUEEN Christina, scores as the comic Vitamin Flintheart; and Bernadene Hayes proves memorable in the brief role of Longshot Lillie. The cast is very nicely rounded out by Kay Christopher as a particularly appeal Tess Trueheart and such character actors as Lyle Latell, William B. Davidson, Tony Barrett, and Tom Keene.High art it isn't, but DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA is fun in and of itself, fast moving, well acted, and well director by "B" movie workhorse John Rawlins. Certainly among the better outings for the famous character, it's very entertaining. Recommended for Dick Tracy fans everywhere.

sol ***SPOILER ALERT***Dick Tracy, Ralph Byrd, is hampered in the movie by his butterfingered assistant Pat Patton, Lyle Latell,who's more of a burden to him then anything else. How Patton got a job on the police department and how he got stuck with him should be what Dick Tracy's dilemma in the film really is.After the robbery of the Flawless Furs company's warehouse it's found out that the night watchman Hawks, Jason Robars Sr, was murdered by what seems like a machete and it's decided, being that a murder is involved with the robbery, that it's a job for the great Dick Tracy. Tracy showing up at the scene of the crime finds a number of clues as well as with the help of his eyes and ears on the streets blind bagger, who's can really see, Sighless, Jimmy Conlin, that the furs are to be exchanged at the corner of Hemp Street for $20,000.00 with Longshot Lillie, Bernadene Hayle, being the fence. It's when Longshot Lillie is taken into custody that she, realizing that she may face a murder charge, tells Tracy that she's involved with this one handed wacko, he has a hook for his right hand, "The Claw" ( Jack Lambert) in the fur robbery. "The Claw" who together with his two partners Sam & Fred, Tony Barrett & Al Bridge, are really second stringers in the murder/robbery with he Big Cheese,????, planning to exploit the crime on both sides of the law. After getting the expansive furs the Big Cheese plans on selling them back, through Longshot Lillie, to the owner of Flawless Furs Mr. Humphries, Charles Mrash. It's then that the Big Cheese is to collect, through "The Claw", the $50,000.00 in insurance from the furs underwriter Peter Permium, William B. Davidson,of the Honesty Insurance Company.The movie really never takes off with Dick Tracy just gong through the motions and not as much as getting his hands dirty in the movies final confrontation between him and "The Claw" that takes place in a deserted power plant. "The Claw" himself is anything but formidable, in giving Tracy a run for the money, but just a first-class dud and screw-up in his messing up his job by first getting spotted by Sightleess, whom he ended up slicing to death, and then getting shot and wounded, as he made his escape, by the couldn't hit the broad side of a barn Pat Patton. This all happened when Tracy's partner and sidekick Patton blew any chance of getting "The Claw" by going after the dangerous hood on his own and leaving Tracy, who was totally in the dark to what Patton was up to, standing alone with a befuddled look on his face and with his famous yellow fedora in his hand.Even though the movie ended with "The Claw" getting juiced, by 33,000 bolts of electricity, the mastermind of the fur robbery and eventually insurance fraud seemed to have gotten away Scot-free since, after he gets put to sleep, were never really shown what exactly happened to him. This even though the Big Cheese identity was discovered by non other that bumbling jerk Patton, who phoned him, who didn't even have the presence of mind to remember his phone number or even have his phone traced!