Belly
0.5/4
Starring: DMX, Nas, Taral Hicks, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Method Man
Rated R for Strong Violence, Language, Sexuality and Drug Use
And the lesson learned from "Belly" is, there's a big difference between making a music video and a feature film.
"Belly," which is a title that has absolutely nothing to do with anything in the film, is a terrible movie. Like last years crapfest "Killer Elite," it makes so little sense that after twenty minutes I gave up trying to figure out what the hell was going on. There are two reasons for why this movie is so confused. First, there is so much slang that not only are subtitles mandatory, but a translator is needed. Second, director Hype Williams throws every visual trick he can think of at the screen. Unfortunately, none of them have any purpose, and many are downright cheesy.
As far as I could tell, the plot goes like this: Sincere (Nas) and Tommy aka Buns (DMX) are high rolling drug dealers who love their lives. Shooting people up, robbing them, and dealing drugs are elements of a life well spent. But when they hear of a new, more potent form of heroin hitting the market, they want in. That's when circumstances force them to rethink their lives.
I'm sure the plot gets more complicated, but I may be wrong. There are about a half dozen characters onscreen with significant screen time, but none of them are developed enough to know who they are or what they're doing. That, and Williams' mistaken belief that he is making a music video means that it's 90 minutes of boredom.
I suppose the acting isn't bad, but it doesn't matter because it's impossible to understand what anyone is saying. DMX showed promise in "Romeo Must Die," but the only compliment I can really give him here is that he has screen presence. Nas is also effective, but again, I rarely knew what was going on (his voiceover narration is helpful, but there's not enough of it). Taral Hicks and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins are the best of the bunch, and it helps enormously that I knew what they were talking about. But it's little consolation since they're not particularly important characters.
Hype Williams is considered a music video pioneer and the ultimate hip hop music video director of the 90s. For all I know, it could be true; the whole movie is essentially a rap music video with dialogue and what passes for a plot. But what Williams doesn't get is that more is needed than visual tricks and desaturated cinematography to make a movie. Intelligible dialogue, characterizations and a plot that is possible to follow are essential.
I was going to give the film zero stars, until I saw the ending. It's not great by any means, and certainly not good enough to make it worth sitting through the rest of this mess, but there is some suspense at the end. Williams tones down the trickery and is able to adequately set up a climax. It's completely predictable, but he does generate a bit of dread. After that, though, he does some serious sermonizing.
Please, avoid this movie.
Starring: DMX, Nas, Taral Hicks, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Method Man
Rated R for Strong Violence, Language, Sexuality and Drug Use
And the lesson learned from "Belly" is, there's a big difference between making a music video and a feature film.
"Belly," which is a title that has absolutely nothing to do with anything in the film, is a terrible movie. Like last years crapfest "Killer Elite," it makes so little sense that after twenty minutes I gave up trying to figure out what the hell was going on. There are two reasons for why this movie is so confused. First, there is so much slang that not only are subtitles mandatory, but a translator is needed. Second, director Hype Williams throws every visual trick he can think of at the screen. Unfortunately, none of them have any purpose, and many are downright cheesy.
As far as I could tell, the plot goes like this: Sincere (Nas) and Tommy aka Buns (DMX) are high rolling drug dealers who love their lives. Shooting people up, robbing them, and dealing drugs are elements of a life well spent. But when they hear of a new, more potent form of heroin hitting the market, they want in. That's when circumstances force them to rethink their lives.
I'm sure the plot gets more complicated, but I may be wrong. There are about a half dozen characters onscreen with significant screen time, but none of them are developed enough to know who they are or what they're doing. That, and Williams' mistaken belief that he is making a music video means that it's 90 minutes of boredom.
I suppose the acting isn't bad, but it doesn't matter because it's impossible to understand what anyone is saying. DMX showed promise in "Romeo Must Die," but the only compliment I can really give him here is that he has screen presence. Nas is also effective, but again, I rarely knew what was going on (his voiceover narration is helpful, but there's not enough of it). Taral Hicks and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins are the best of the bunch, and it helps enormously that I knew what they were talking about. But it's little consolation since they're not particularly important characters.
Hype Williams is considered a music video pioneer and the ultimate hip hop music video director of the 90s. For all I know, it could be true; the whole movie is essentially a rap music video with dialogue and what passes for a plot. But what Williams doesn't get is that more is needed than visual tricks and desaturated cinematography to make a movie. Intelligible dialogue, characterizations and a plot that is possible to follow are essential.
I was going to give the film zero stars, until I saw the ending. It's not great by any means, and certainly not good enough to make it worth sitting through the rest of this mess, but there is some suspense at the end. Williams tones down the trickery and is able to adequately set up a climax. It's completely predictable, but he does generate a bit of dread. After that, though, he does some serious sermonizing.
Please, avoid this movie.
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