I don’t think he’s a tragic hero. I mean I suppose if you want to strictly apply the “rules” of Shakespearean tragedy then yeah he has a “tragic” flaw (well a couple really) that eventually destroys him. But he’s never really a hero, and there’s nothing non Shakespearean tragic about his demise. He’s a sociopathic drug lord/ addict with incestuous love for his sister that deserves to die, not really a tragedy. But it’s all in a very complex plot with certain morality lessons. And it’s a hell of a lot of fun. And a lot more interesting than most of the movies that came out in 1983. Nobody is picking up tickets to see The Dead Zone in theaters again.
I just found it dreary with hackneyed dialogue and trite notions about the Success Ethic. It’s really a parody of gangster films. 1983 films I prefer include Zelig, The Meaning of Life, The Right Stuff and A Christmas Story.