After being incarcerated for 8 years, G (The Game) is released from prison.  As a condition of his parole, he is told to get a job and not hang out with any of his old criminal associates.

G fails to get a job.

G decides to return to selling drugs with his old criminal associate, Tone (Michael K. Williams).

Soon, G is the third biggest drug dealer in the city.  Corrupt cop Coleman (Ed O’Ross) is working with the Mexican cartel and he wants to take G down.  DEA agent Alexis (Shari Headley) is sent undercover to get evidence on G.  After a montage of the two of them going on romantic walks, having sex, and playing dominoes, they fall in love for real.  Alexis has to decide if she is willing to betray G and G eventually has to decide if he can forgive her for being a cop.

The big problem with this entire scenario is that G is on probation so he could be arrested and sent back to jail at any time, either for not getting a job or for spending all of his time with Tone.  There’s no reason to go through all the trouble of sending in Alexis and having her risk her life to find proof of G’s wrongdoing.  G should have been busted and sent back to jail as soon as he said hello to Tone.  Even if there was some reason why the cops didn’t want to bust him for not getting a job, G is shooting people in the middle of the street.  G is not a master criminal.  He should not be that hard to bust.

The Game is a talented rapper and a terrible actor.  Whatever charisma he has on stage disappears as soon as he gets in front of a camera and tries to show emotion.  The late and much missed Michael K. Williams is better as Tone but he deserved better than supporting roles in straight-to-video shlock like this.  Williams’s Wire co-star, Felecia Pearson, has a pointless cameo.  Ed O’Ross bulges his eyes and gives the type of sweaty performance that feels more appropriate for a silent movie.

As you probably guessed, this film has nothing to do with the original Belly.  There’s a lot of slow motion gunfights and talk about respect and money.  It feels almost like a parody of a hood film, right down to the final act of violence.