Belly Review
by Michael Dequina (michael_jordan AT geocities DOT com)November 7th, 1998
_Belly_ (R) ** (out of ****)
The feature debut of hot hip-hop music video director Hype Williams serves up what one would expect from that fact: music stars in the cast (rappers DMX, Nas, and Method Man; singers Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins of TLC, and Taral Hicks) and, most of all, highly stylized, video-ready visuals. Williams pulls out all the stops, employing everything from freeze frames and frenetic editing to having different scenes and shots ghosted over others. Williams's tricks are given an added sheen by the rich colors of Malik Sayeed's stunning cinematography.
But all of Williams's glitz, delicious eye candy as it is, eventually overshadows his own script. It's a by-the-numbers story about the fall and possible redemption of two longtime friends and drug dealers, Tommy (DMX, showing genuine big screen presence and charisma) and Sincere (Nas), one a badass (Tommy), one more mellow (the aptly named Sincere) and looking for a stable life for his wife Tionne (Watkins) and their child. As straightforward as that sounds, all the visual style unnecessarily drains the coherence from the story, which bounces from one image and place to another with only a voiceover serving as the thin thread tying together the pieces. Williams is a name to watch; _Belly_ leaves no doubt as to his remarkable talent as a visual stylist, and he coaxes convincing work from his mostly novice cast. But until his storytelling ability catches up, he'll remain just that--a name to watch.
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Michael Dequina
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