Belly

I really get p***ed off at movie critics sometimes. This is one of those times. I have insomnia, see what's on TV, check the rating (1 star out of 4) and almost pass it by, but decide to watch it for the camp value.

Why did critics hate this? Why do they in general hate movies like this? The film immediately reminded me of "The Harder They Come", "Pusher" (Nicolas Winding Refn's fantastic Danish film), "Laws of Gravity", "Kids", "Clerks", "Mean Streets", "Zebrahead", "The Killing of A Chinese Bookie", "Boogie Nights", "Rome, Open City" and "The Bicycle Thief". Why does it seem that film critics love neo-realism if its 'white', but usually hate it otherwise.

If you're a fan of these kinds of movies, give this one a chance. Unfortunately, with the unfavorable judgment from up on high that this film received, I doubt anyone will read these words. Darn critics. I don't usually insinuate things like this, but I have to wonder if a racial aspect is at play here, that maybe xenophobia deflected a lot of critics from giving this one a chance. Oh well, I loved it in any case.

NOTE: This film was recommended to me by YouTube user Kjo Schultz for "Steve Pulaski Sees It." Hype Williams' Belly follows the troubled escapades of two New York street criminals named Tommy (DMX) and Sincere (Nas), in addition to their partners in crime, as the gang spends their nights cracking cars and robbing nightclubs using little else other than brute force. This provides them with pocket money for the meantime; enough where Tommy can satisfy his girlfriend Keisha (Taral Hicks) and Sincere can take care of his girlfriend Tionne (Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins) and infant daughter.

However, the big break for these gentleman comes at the turn of the 2000's, when heroin prices are escalating and the business is becoming a lucrative venture for anyone willing to take the risk. Tommy and Sincere go on to meet "Ox" (Louie Rankin), a heroin drug lord who wants to work with the men due to their promise. The perils of urban life soon take their toll on the men, in addition to greed and self-absorption, most of it resting on Sincere, who has to constantly battle the push and pull effect he gets with his business and his wife nearly every day.

Belly is an interesting street-drama largely for its cinematography, and surprisingly not so much for its two leading male performers, two of the biggest names in hip-hop at the time. Rather than opting for flare with a constantly moving camera or canted angles similar to the Hughes Brothers' Menace II Society (this film also featured Tyrin Turner from that film in a small supporting performance, as well), Williams and cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed employ a wide variety of different ambiance and aesthetic warmth to the film. Consider the scene in a nightclub, where the blacklights make the characters "glow" blue in a strangely eerie, unsettling manner. Then consider one of the chase sequences in the film and how Williams employs very vivid, cleanly shot and paced car chases that help make a film that's mostly grounded in reality suspend disbelief for a few minutes in order to give you something completely different.

There's more variety to Belly than I initially had predicted. The issue at hand is that there is so much going on in Belly that it's a shame character development suffers as a result. Granted, this particular drama doesn't have a liberal three hours to build up character relations, but it doesn't have the same hard-hitting punch and haunting, "urban jungle" vibes as a film like New Jack City did a few year prior. DMX and Nas do a fairly adequate job of conveying characters, but there's not a lot to them as people, which makes their performances, as well as their characters, stunted from any kind of significant growth.

On an unrelated note, the soundtrack for Belly is what truly pushes it over and makes it a presence. Songs from Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man, and DMX himself populate a film that pulsates with life and adds to the noir-aesthetic Williams and Sayeed work to create. While it's unfortunate that Belly's lacking character development and rather subpar plot distract its loftier, more impressive elements, there's almost never too many urban films that depict some kind of dichotomy between playing by the rules and ripping the rulebook to shreds when you look at where it has gotten you. The film, in many ways, proudly showcases that.

Starring: DMX, Nas, Taral Hicks, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Louie Rankin, and Tyrin Turner. Directed by: Hype Williams.

I'm not a fan of a lot of the editing decisions, it doesn't close all the doors it opened and some dialogue is atrocious (plus someone needs to explain to Americans that they are the only ones saying "I'm going to Africa" and how that sounds. There are 54 different countries in Africa and even much more different cultures).

Either way, I think the story is interesting, the characters are relatable and unique and there are great scenes on this. Plus, that ending scene is - even for someone not religious at all - precious and very well executed.

First off this is one of those movie where you either hate it or love it. I loved the movie. I found it to be one of the better urban movies to come out in the 90's not better then boyz n da hood or menace II society. But It was the best one that centered around life in New York's crime underworld. I also think it's DMX's best movie so far. The movie is stylishly filmed by Director Hype WIlliams and the characters are extremely realistic. The dialog is also realistic. The movie might fall short when it comes to how the plot is set up and the overall development of the characters. That is not to say that the movie doesn't have an overall significant meaning because it does. It addresses some of the problems that face inner city youth today. Most people that don't like this movie fail to realize this fact. The minister character in the movie is not important but rather what he is saying is. With that said I feel that the movie takes bold steps to show how certain ways of life are wrong and why they should be changed. The movie is also not your typical crime/drug movie however it does have some of those moments that could have been rethought to be a bit more interesting. With all that said I recommend the movie to be at least watched once because if nothing else the movie does have a great soundtrack and decent plot.

Despite any other negative reviews I truly enjoy this movie! The plot line parallels Scarface very closely but is done in such a different way that the movie has a feel of its own. The acting is excellent, and not just for rappers. All the performances in the movie can hold their own without any pretext. The plot in fast paced and intricate with twists, turns, ups and downs. The language is graphic but not unrealistic for the type of characters portraited. All in all this movie is entertaining from start to finish and all of my friends that have watched it with me have enjoyed it (even those that don't like rap at all).

8 out of 10