Belly (film)
| Belly | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Hype Williams |
| Produced by |
Larry Meistrich Ron Rotholz Robert Salerno Hype Williams |
| Screenplay by | Hype Williams |
| Story by |
Nas Anthony Bodden Hype Williams |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Stephen Cullo |
| Cinematography | Malik Hassan Sayeed |
| Edited by | David Leonard |
|
Production
company |
Big Dog Films
|
| Distributed by | Artisan Entertainment |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million |
| Box office | $9,639,390 (US and Canada) |
Belly is an 1998 American crime drama film, directed by music video director Hype Williams, in his film directing debut. Filmed in New York City, the film stars rappers DMX and Nas, alongside Taral Hicks, Method Man, dancehall artist Louie Rankin and R&B singer T-Boz. Besides starring in the film, Nas also narrates and collaborated with Hype Williams on the film's script along with DMX (who, uncredited, also narrates the beginning of the film).
The film begins in early 1999, with two young New York street criminals Tommy Bunds ("Bundy") (DMX) and Sincere ("Sin") (Nas), along with their associates in crime Mark and Black. The four violently rob a nightclub, murdering five people. Escaping in a stolen car, they cheer their success. Black goes to dump the car while the rest retreat to Tommy's house, where they celebrate and joke around (The movie Gummo is playing on the TV), waking Tommy's girlfriend Keisha (Taral Hicks). Sincere soon leaves and is followed in gesture by the others. He returns home to his girlfriend Tionne (Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins) and infant daughter Kenya. Meanwhile, Tommy learns of a new form of heroin which he takes as a lucrative business opportunity.
The next day, Tommy meets with Sincere to discuss the venture. His rhetoric is met with resistance from the more intellectually inclined Sincere, who has become enlightened to the plight of urban poor and seeks a life free of crime. After Tommy ridicules Sincere for his sentiments and mentions his connection with a Jamaican drug lord "Ox" residing in New York City, Sincere reluctantly agrees. Tommy then visits Ox in his lavish mansion, to plead for Ox's assistance in obtaining the heroin. Ox agrees on the grounds that Tommy repays him via a huge favor at a later date.
In Mark's grandmother's basement, the group convenes to discuss the imminent flux of business. Sin explains via narration that one of Tommy's associates, Knowledge, is to be involved in the operation. Meanwhile, Sincere teases Black, who is upset that his share of the money from the robbery was less than Sincere received. While this is happening, Knowledge tells Tommy over the phone that he had heard that Black had been talking about wanting to rob Sincere. Tommy becomes incredibly enraged. He pushes Black to the floor and forces him to strip naked in front of everyone while firing a handgun wildly into the floor. Tommy then orders Black to sit on the couch, as he visibly harbors hostile feelings towards the rest of the men.
...
Wikipedia