Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- stylized
- brooding
- sardonic
- late night viewing
- hip hop movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's striking visual design and cinematography while finding its plot weak and its performances uneven, though it later gained a cult following.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hype Williams uses elaborate framing, saturated color, stylized lighting, and rhythmic editing to turn the gangsters' world into an audiovisual spectacle.
Tommy and Sincere have escaped poverty through drug dealing and robbery but recognize that their prosperity leads toward a dead end.
Sincere reconnects with African roots while Tommy turns toward the Nation of Islam, making spiritual identity central to their divergent paths.
The move from Queens to upscale Manhattan and the film's highly polished design present gangster life as seductive even while depicting its violence and instability.
Films like Belly, and why
New Jack City
stylized neo noir crime drama centered on organized crime, moral decline, and urban alienation
Menace II Society
black crime cinema combining street-level violence, drug economies, and conflicted male protagonists
King of New York
visually expressive gangster drama about criminal ambition, loyalty, and spiritual transformation
The Last Dragon
cult crime film with heightened visual style, criminal protagonists, and uneasy redemption
Movie Details
- Director
- Hype Williams
- Release Date
- 1998-11-04
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (193)
Cast
- DMX
- Nas
- Hassan Johnson
- Taral Hicks
- Tionne Watkins
- Oliver "Power" Grant
- Louie Rankin
- Stanley Drayton
- James Parris
- Method Man
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Belly about?
- Two successful New York gangsters confront the spiritual dead end beneath their glamorous criminal lives as faith and African identity pull them toward different futures.
- What is Belly like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Belly as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Belly violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Belly as graphic.
- What did critics think of Belly?
- Critics broadly admired the film's striking visual design and cinematography while finding its plot weak and its performances uneven, though it later gained a cult following.
- Which films are like Belly?
- Films with a similar feel include New Jack City, Menace II Society, King of New York, and The Last Dragon.
- How long is Belly?
- Belly runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Belly?
- In United States, Belly streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
