Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Undoubtedly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It was the cheapest DVD in the store, but it had all these blurbs on it about how gorgeous and artful it was, so I bought it. Who made this thing ...Bernie Madoff? Even though it appears to have been shown in occasional art houses around 1990, this film could very well have been a straight to DVD production (assuming that there even were DVDs in 1987 when it was made.) If not, it must have been a scam of some sort. Not even the lowest Italian swords and sandals flick could possibly plumb the movie-making depths as much as this movie.So, that's life. Barnes and Noble has my $5.00, the State of Texas has another 40 cents or so in taxes, and the garbage man has another crappy movie to add to his collection of garbage can DVDs.

Peter Greenaway is a complex artist, which seems to dedicate one decade to each of the various forms of art he engages in - painting, fiction films, documentary, multimedia. The 80s were the times of the fiction films and 'the Belly of an Architect' is one of his best and most known.This is the story of an American architect coming to the eternal city to prepare an exhibition dedicated to the revolutionary 18th century architect Etienne Louis Boulee. He soon finds he is sick, and his life and career go down on spiral, as his younger and pregnant wife starts to cheat on him with one of his Italian assistants. The principal role is played by Brian Dennehy who plays probably the best role in his career of more than 140 films (by now), a role so far from the typical Irish cop roles he is usually cast in.The story line is quite linear, but the quality of the acting and the special cinematography makes it stand in front of the crowd. Very few films succeeded to catch in image Rome so beautifully, and certainly Greenaway is one of the few to have done so. The film is full of references to architecture and art, and it is a delight to follow the composition of the scenes, resembling paintings from the masters. It is not an usual film, its unusual beauty asks to be discovered and lies in the details, but it's worth exploring and finding it.

One of my favorite Greenaway films. Story, visuals, metaphor, acting, music...it's got it all. The visuals of Rome are stunning. Wim Mertens' musical accompaniment is brilliant and on par with any modern minimalist composition. After years of seeing his TV roles, I was completely floored by the depth and authenticity Brian Dennehey brought to the main character. I've watched this film at least a dozen times over the years and enjoy it thoroughly each time. Unlike a previous reviewer, I don't see the need to judge this film based on how much it resembles previous or subsequent Greenaway films. "Belly of An Architect" is not as abstract as some of the other Greenaway films, but that shouldn't be viewed as a negative. The film is great and rich in its own right. I highly recommend it.

An Architect and his wife find themselves in Ancient Rome 1987! The Architect's life, (played brilliantly by Dennehy), falls apart by his obsession with a cancer stricken stomach. May sound like turgid stuff but Greenaway keeps it fascinating.