Belly is an urban crime drama about two gangsters who are confronted with unexpected decisions when their life of violence and drugs get out of control. The movie is directed by Hype Williams who is a well known music video expert for mainstream Hip-Hop and R&B artists. Belly is an example of how music video experience does not automatically provide the skills to direct feature films. It stars rappers DMX, NAS and Method Man along with Taral Hicks and R&B singer Tionne Watkins from the pop group TLC.
The product description for this film does not even include an enticing synopsis, which is one red flag. A description for Belly reads: From acclaimed director Hype Williams comes this realistic urban drama highlighted by an all-star hip-hop cast, visually dazzling cinematography and a pulsing rap soundtrack, instead. The description does not tell audiences anything about the storyline or who is appearing in this film.
Belly's Production Value does not Make the Grade
While most films are a form of entertainment, Belly is not easy to watch from a technical standpoint. The movie is oversaturated with colors, making it difficult to figure out what appears in some scenes. Many of the scenes in Belly are either too bright with color or too dark. This saturation issue occurs in both exterior and interior scenes with darkness usually being the main problem.
The movie also features a lot of scantily clad women and an influx of excessive lighting. Williams took the lighting effects and style of cinematography that he became famous for in music videos and adapted it for the big screen. While it may look attractive to those who enjoy flashy hip-hop videos and the nightclub scene, this style of production does not help to move the storyline forward.
Where are the Real actors?
The acting performances in Belly could have used some improvements. This is evident in the fact that regular film actors were not used to make Belly. The cast of this movie consisted of music celebrities, many of whom did not have a lot of acting experience prior to landing their Belly roles. Taral Hicks is an exception, yet her acting skills were not fully utilized in the film.
As the typical trophy girlfriend of Tommy “Buns” Bundy (played by DMX), Hicks had a lot of face time but minimal dialogue. Nas was too laid back in his role of Sincere, which made the character seem a bit dull. This performance was a hindrance to the positive messages that Hype Williams was trying to portray through Sincere in Belly.
Tionne Watkins' performance was not believable during the opening scenes. Her role as Sincere’s girlfriend turned from laughable to noteworthy throughout the remaining portion of this movie. DMX was very convincing as the drug dealer, Tommy. It is no surprise that he was able to land additional starring roles in feature films including Exit Wounds, opposite Steven Seagal and Romeo Must Die with Jet Li.
One of the most vicious supporting roles in this movie was played my Method Man, who operated like some kind of hit man. Method Man was one of few among these cast members who was able to expand his film and TV credits. Since the release of Belly, he has worked on films How High and Soul Plane while also appearing on television in episodes of CSI, The Wire and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
A Realistic Verdict for a Movie with Unrealistic Expectations
Belly seems more like an extended music video rather than a narrative feature film. The only aspect of the movie that sets it apart from other music videos is a slightly deeper storyline and longer runtime. This movie is better suited on MTV and similar TV networks, not a local movie theater where audiences expect high quality cinema. Belly continues to be a favorite among urban hip-hop fans. This flashy and star laden film still lacks the substance to be taken seriously on any mainstream level.
Hype Williams has achieved what many independent filmmakers only dream and talk about. He finished a feature length film that recouped at least most of its $10,000,000 budget back. Despite the sub-par aspects of Belly, its $9.75 million worldwide gross was a good achievement even if Artisan Entertainment and producers of this movie did not receive huge profits at closing.
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