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Nas, DMX, Taral Hicks, Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins, Method Man ... see more see more... , Hassan Johnson , Louie Rankin , Tyrin Turner , Minister Benjamin F. Muhammed , John "B.J." Bryant , James Parris , Oliver 'Power' Grant , Stan Drayton

Music video director Hype Williams made his feature film debut with this visually inventive urban drama. Tommy Brown (DMX) and his friend Sincere (Nas) are gangsters who have learned how to make a goo... read more read more...d living by dealing drugs and pulling armed robberies. Tommy and Sincere have been able to move out of the ghetto in Queens where they were raised and relocate to an upscale section of Manhattan; they would seem to have it made, but both realize that their lives are headed toward a dead end. Sincere begins getting in touch with his African roots and tries to convince his girlfriend Tionne (Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins) that they should emigrate to the Motherland, while Tommy has a religious awakening and joins the Nation of Islam. Along with top-selling rappers DMX and Nas, hip-hop artist Method Man and R&B singer Taral Hicks also appear. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

86% liked it

32,209 ratings

Critics

13% liked it

16 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Hype Williams

Release Date: November 4, 1998

Keywords: gangster

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DVD Release Date: July 25, 2000

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Stats: 1,788 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,788)

  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    May 2, 2011
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    I like Nas and DMX... I think DMX in particular is a pretty decent actor given the roles he's been dealt. But "Belly" is complete garbage. What I find most shocking is that numerous people I know cite this as one of their favorite films! That's the only reason I even decided to s... read moreee this to begin with (it was forced on me) and hated just about every minute of it. Terrible.
  • LitelBluHli
    February 15, 2009
    LitelBluHli
    The beginning was awesome...yes...the colors....it was great.
  • Chiefilms
    April 9, 2008
    Chiefilms
    Think Nas "Hate Me Now" Music Video on the Big Screen mixed in with a plot about drugs. Smooth visuals but given the director, pretty much a music video without the dubbing. Great Soundtrack, opening scene best part.
  • sanjurosamurai
    November 23, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    fantastic, nas should do more serious acting, he was great. this film really helps to show the mind set of someone who cant get out of their own way, and it has a great message of redemption at the end.
  • Chosen718
    August 11, 2008
    Chosen718
    Classic
  • ileo
    December 23, 2007
    ileo
    Fantastic!
  • kevsammal
    April 8, 2007
    kevsammal
    DMX and NAS are not actors, although Hype Williams does a great job in directing these untalented career-long posers across a long-spanning music video. The 'Jamaican club-scene is visually memorable, but I think everyone is too caught up in the Scarface mentality to realize th... read moreat neither of these two characters got an education. Ghetto dreamers will die with this movie tucked in their in-dash DVD-player.
  • RockabillySaint
    September 8, 2006
    RockabillySaint
    My brother has been bugging me for years to see this, and tonight he finally drug me to his house to watch it. I must say I was quite impressed; it was lovely to behold with all the stark colors and amaziang cinematography. The dialogue was also very well done; almost had a Taran... read moretino-esque flair to it. And for being musicians, the acting wasn't half bad. Definitely the best performances you'll EVER get out of a bunch of rappers. But even for all of this I found it to be kind of boring. The story just didn't grab me and seemed cliche. Not really my kind of thing to tell you the truth, but for people who like this kind of thing, it's the best of its kind.
  • BondFiction
    January 5, 2012
    BondFiction
    lots of blown potential. starts off well then kind of tempers off...hype williams has interesting ideas visually but belly isn't great by any means
  • zardoz3
    November 6, 2011
    zardoz3
    Nobody is better equipped either aesthetically or visually to evoke spontaneity in an African-American urban crime thriller about gangsters-in-the-hood than video director Hype Williams. For the record, Hype has helmed videos for some of the most popular hip-hop vocalists, inclu... read moreding The Notorious B.I.G., Will Smith, Babyface, and R. Kelly. Indisputably, Williams captures the smoke-laden atmosphere, the cold sweaty paranoia, and above all the improvised lifestyle of black gunmen who live on the edge with their families and their high-class surroundings. Basically, however, "Belly" is a little more than a competently handled but traditional shoot'em up about drug lords battling over territorial rights, and redemption. The story focuses on Tommy (DMX, aka Earl Simmons) and his pal Sincere (NAS) as they rob night clubs and deal a new kind of heroin and the wages of their violent lives. While this film features a visually dazzling look which you will remember long after you've forgotten about the thoroughly formulaic plot that is as old as any blue-collar Warner Brothers gangster thriller from the 1930s. The lip and the hip are hypnotic, but the story is hackneyed. Williams and storytellers Anthony Bodden and hip-hopster Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones draw on the contemporary crime scene as well as thrillers like "Scarface." The attack on Ox's palatial residence resembles the Columbians attack on Tony Montana's estate and the bargain between Tommy and the authorities to kill the Minister is akin to Tony's bargain to kill an anti-drug spokesman. Of course, you can guess what happens with this subplot. Our two protagonists eventually see the light of day and understand the moral trouble that they have brought down on themselves, but they are nevertheless rewarded for what they've done before they turned over a new leaf. The gunfights are standard-issue, and most of the performances are believable, except for Ben Chavis as the Minister who seems to be reciting his message laden dialogue without an ounce of inspiration. "Belly" is an ordinary African-American crime thriller with striking visuals but there is little striking about its derivative narrative.

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Critic Reviews

Scott Weinberg
July 26, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

All style and very little substance in this oft-told tale of inner-city angst.

Maitland McDonagh
January 1, 2000
Maitland McDonagh, Film Journal International

Make no mistake: Style is paramount in Belly, a flashy, trashy look at the gangsta' life, which Hype Williams has exploited in videos for Puff Daddy, Mase, Tupac Shakur... Full Review

Michael Dequina
January 1, 2000
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

All of Williams's glitz, delicious eye candy as it is, eventually overshadows his own script. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Leonard Klady
April 3, 2009
Leonard Klady, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Jeff Strickler
November 6, 2002
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Click to read the article Full Review

Kevin Thomas
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Joe Baltake
January 1, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

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Paul Tatara
January 1, 2000
Paul Tatara, CNN.com

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Lawrence Van Gelder
January 1, 2000
Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times

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Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Belly Trivia

  • True Or False? Famous movie director Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button. He had it surgically removed.  Answer »
  • What movie did DMX say this line? "there ain't no money like dope money."  Answer »
  • In what movie is there a kid that is missing his belly button?  Answer »
  • What movie is this quote from: "into the belly of the beast, and out of the demon's ass"?  Answer »
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