Belly of the Beast (2003) (NTSC)

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General		Extras
Category	Action	Theatrical Trailer Trailer-The Foreigner, Out For A Kill, Returner
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	88:07
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,4	Directed By	Siu-Tung Ching
Studio Distributor	Sony Pictures Home Entertain	Starring	Steven Seagal
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$39.95	Music	None Given

Video (NTSC)		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	480i (NTSC)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English French Spanish	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

   Jake Hopper is a former CIA agent who has been out of action for over ten years. His daughter Jessica is kidnapped while on a trip to Thailand by a rebellious group known as the Abu Kafar, led by the enigmatic `Mongkol'. Jake learns of the news and decides he must go to Thailand to rescue his daughter. Meanwhile, the CIA send their top man, Leon Washington, to Thailand to make sure Jake doesn’t cause any trouble. Leon is about to learn the hard way never to mess with Jake Hopper's family.

    Belly of The Beast is another nail in the coffin of what's left of Steven Seagal's career. Sporting a serious weight problem and more stunt doubles than the entire cast of Ben-Hur, the once mighty action icon is painful to watch. His line delivery is appalling (when he actually decides to deliver his own dialogue that is), and his once breathtaking Akido moves are slow and laboured. Well, what about the story you might ask? 'What story?' would be my answer. Basically, the narrative only exists to string together clichéd set pieces that barely serve a purpose other than to add carnage to proceedings. Continuity is an afterthought. Scenes, clothing, and dialogue all change with no logical explanation. In fact, I am hard-pressed to find any redeeming features of this cinematic offal other than a very short running time. Let's give thanks for small mercies.

Video

    Belly of The Beast is presented in an aspect ratio of 1:85:1 and is 16x9 enhanced for widescreen viewing.

   A reasonably sharp transfer is supported by strong black levels and very little grain.

    Colours are natural with no image bleeding.

    As expected for a new film there are barely any film or video artefacts apparent.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    As problematic as the actual film is, thankfully the audio track is more than acceptable. The film has been given three 5.1 audio tracks in English, Spanish and French.

    Dialogue is clear, but audio sync is all over the map. The reason for this is simply ADR. It appears that at least a third of the dialogue has been altered in post production and it shows. Parts of the film look like a bad dub job from the early eighties.

    The film's score is non-descript and thankfully disappears into the background.

    Surround channel usage is quite strong. Rear channels are well balanced and aggressive. Directional effects and ambient noise are consistently used throughout the film.

    The subwoofer contributes strong bass and reverberation levels.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Theatrical Trailers

   All versions currently available are the same.

    I am hard-pressed to find any redeeming qualities in Belly Of The Beast. Steven Seagal appears to have lost all interest in making decent films, so why should his fan base feel any different, particularly considering the quality of the work.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall