DMX's
Filmography
Here are all of DMX's
film releases to date:
Exit
Wounds:
One
can always count on Steven Seagal to act as the repository of yesterday's
action-film clichés, and Exit Wounds is yet another case in point.
Seagal plays Detroit cop Orin Boyd, a lone wolf lawman who gets in the middle of
his precinct's losing battle against police corruption. Taking on a powerful but
crooked cop named Montini (David Vadim)--who is busy making deals with a rich
gangster (DMX)--Boyd soon sends fists and feet flying while Tom Arnold provides
the comic relief. Director Andrzej Bartkowiak surely had less fun guiding Seagal
through slow-motion fight sequences than he did Jet Li in Romeo Must Die,
but as compensation he gets to work with the mesmerizing DMX, who looks as
though he has leading-man possibilities. Plenty of gratuitous gore, awful cop
banter, and miles of cleavage courtesy of Jill Hennessy, who plays Boyd's
tough-as-nails boss.
Angel:
Angel
is a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of rap's most conflicted and
charismatic MC. DMX commands arena stages, wrecks his competition in battles,
and takes time to show fans some tough love. Leading off this two- hour tale of
the X is the 20-minute short "Angel," directed by Bill Duke. It's a
mix of Blaxploitation and horror movie clichés that contains a slightly
overwrought performance by DMX and a healthy-looking Mary J. Blige as the angel
of mercy who watches over us all. View "Angel" once and then forget
about it-- the rest of the DVD is what makes it a must-have. "One More
Road" documents step-by-step how X and his team lay down an album in the
studio and the creative and emotional intensity surrounding the process. A full
taste of DMX in front of a hometown audience is given by "Survival of the
Illest," shot during his legendary 1999 performance at the Apollo Theater.
Belly:
A
person can look a Belly two ways. Half of us will see it as a video guide on how
to be drug dealin' gangsta, and as a bad influence on America's youth (trust me,
I've seen this movie influence some kids). The other half will see it as a way
for, to use one of Nas' own terms, "Ghetto Prisoners to Rise." My only
beef is why did they show all of this crime and violence for 99% of the movie?
It's like they just tacked on the "lets all get together ending" just
to make you forget about the actual theme of the film. It doesn't make the film
any worse, just puzzling. One great thing is how the characters that Nas, X, and
Meth play are exactly how you would vision them in real life. X is hard and
crazy, Nas is down, yet knowledgeable and intelligent and Meth is grimy. If you
like these artists, you'll love Belly. If you don't, you'll probably do better
of watching something else. Belly is a movie with a message to and from
the streets, and with an excellent story line, great camera angles, and real
life situations. If you can get past all the excess "gangsta-ism" you will
see that.
Romeo
Must Die:
Cinematographer
Andrzej Bartkowiak, the cameraman behind Speed, Lethal Weapon 4,
and The Devil's Advocate, makes his directorial debut with a lively but
by-the-numbers film that mixes Hong Kong action pyrotechnics with gritty urban
gang drama. Jet Li stars as a jailed cop named Han who hightails it to Oakland,
California, to seek revenge for the gang-related murder of his brother. What he
finds, though, is a fierce war between his father's syndicate and that of Isaak
O'Day (Delroy Lindo) for control of the city's precious waterfront land, as both
groups are trying to make a deal with a corrupt football-team owner to build a
new stadium. The political shenanigans are basically just a backdrop for the
kick-ass action, and to give Li a number of enemies to lock limbs with. It also
provides him with a love interest, Trish (hip-hop star Aaliyah), who's O'Day's
daughter and like Han, the only straight arrow in a family of crooked mobsters.
Li and Aaliyah have a teasing, gentle chemistry, and when they're onscreen
together, the movie lights up and glides along smoothly. Li even finds a way to
work Aaliyah into one of his action set pieces, using her arms and legs to fight
a female adversary because "I can't hit a girl!" However, when these
two aren't onscreen (and that's a fair amount of the time) the movie plods
along, despite a stately turn by Lindo and Isaiah Washington and Russell Wong as
two family allies who may not be as loyal as they seem. Li's action, though, is
still phenomenal as ever, from his prison breakout (as he takes out a platoon of
guards--strung upside down by one leg) to a knockdown-dragout fight with the
agile and dangerously sexy Wong. And despite the Romeo and Juliet
overtones, this is one mighty chaste romance, albeit one with a happy ending for
the star-crossed lovers.
Back
Stage:
This
raucous documentary of the 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour--featuring Jay-Z, DMX,
Method Man, Redman, and other rappers--is chaotic and confusing, but that seems
entirely appropriate. Life on tour is notoriously grueling, and this tour (with
such an abundance of high-profile performers and support staff) proves to be no
exception. Surprisingly, the egos of the performers seem reasonably under
control; the driving motor of the entire event is Roc-A-Fella Records CEO Damon
Dash, who rants to great effect--in one entertaining sequence, as someone
fruitlessly tries to shave Dash's head, Dash vents at length about how everyone
is wearing jackets publicizing Def Jam instead of Roc-A-Fella. Backstage
depicts naked groupies, drug use, internal squabbles, and hardly a sentence goes
by that isn't filled with obscenities or epithets, but the rappers come across
as a surprisingly genial, friendly lot just enjoying themselves. Jay-Z is
particularly charming, but rapper Beanie Sigel has the sharpest comments to make
as he describes the treatment of demo tapes at record labels. Curiously, the
concert footage only comes across in snippets, though it certainly communicates
the flavor of the show. Backstage is unlikely to tell you anything you
didn't know or already suspect about the touring life or rap music, but it
depicts the experience vividly.
Ruff
Ryders:
Billed
as a documentary, Ruff Ryders is a celebration of the artists associated
with this Yonkers, New York-based rap collective rather than a history of its
origins. CEOs Dee and Waah Dean produced the program and they're featured, along
with house producer Swizz Beatz, but the focus is on such hip-hop royalty as DMX,
L.O.X., and Eve, the label's "First Lady." Contents include
interviews, video clips, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the record- and
video-making process. The videos aren't identified by artist or song title, so
prior familiarity with the material wouldn't hurt. Eve's "Let Me Blow Ya
Mind" deserves special mention; it's a duet with fellow style icon Gwen
Stefani (No Doubt) and features cameos by cult actor Udo Kier and mentor Dr. Dre.
Although most Ruff Ryder artists have released "clean" versions of
their recordings, the language throughout this program falls more into the
"dirty" (i.e., profane) category.
Make It
Or Break It Videos: The Best Of DMX:
This
DVD features DMX performing some of his greatest hits. It includes 16 tracks
such as "Party Up," "We Be Clubbin," "Ruff Riders
Anthem," "Shut 'Em Down," and much more. Also includes
appearances by some of DMX's friends like Aaliyah, Ruff Riders, Mase, Eve, SISQO,
Ice Cube, Method Man, Redman and many others!
