Alpha Dog (2006) User Reviews

A Great Film.

[ajbo · 8/10 · 14 January 2007]

Having learned about the "Jesse James Hollywood" case during my junior year in high school, I'll admit that I was actually extremely disappointed to find out that a film was being made depicting the events that had happened. However, I can now say, I think differently.

The basic premise, without giving too much away, involves a drug deal gone awry. Someone isn't paying Johnny Truelove, and that someone, just so happens to have a little brother. A naive, fifteen year old, little brother (played powerfully by Anton Yelchin) who just wants to live his life. The boy is kidnapped, and held as a sort of ransom, until Jonny gets his money from boy's brother. Johnny's friends become attached to the boy, and eventually, the boy learns a life lesson.

It may all sound played out and done before, but this film is electrifying in every sense of the word. It's hardcore. It's raw. It's at times gritty. (I felt some vibes from the Larry Clark film "Bully", with the whole "kids-doing-what-they-want-anytime-anywhere thing"). You feel as though you're watching these people's lives just crumble before them, making it all the more worse is the grim reality that's stuck in the back of your mind, reminding you that this is all true. Nick Cassavetes has created such a true-to-life depiction of what happened, that it's almost frightening. You won't want to look away.

There are a few downsides however, one being the running time, either the movie was too dragged out or was just moving too slow. To me, I felt as though it could have ended fifteen minutes earlier. There's also a lot of partying, however, this being a depiction of a real life set of teenagers' lives, I can see why it was so vital towards the film. These kids have parents who do as much as they do. The parents don't care what happens to these kids, which makes it all the more terrifying. These kids are on their own. They have nowhere to run and no one to turn to for help.

With an all-star cast, and top performances all around (not a fan of Justin Timberlake? You will be after this film. Trust me) this film is one not to be missed. The ending is so shocking, that it's a wonder I didn't expect it early on. 'Alpha Dog' is an emotional roller coaster that will have you glued to the screen right from the emotional opening credits.

Powerful and realistic. Well done by Cassavetes and Timberlake.

[The_Amazing_Spy_Rises · 8/10 · 19 July 2007]

Alpha Dog starts off as what seems like a movie all about a group of friends who life their idea of the American dream: doing drugs, having sex, and hanging out with each other not a care in the world. However, when their leader, Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch), decides to kidnap the brother (Anton Yelchin) of a man (Ben Foster) who owes him drug money, their perfect world begins to shatter as they realize that their mindless prank has become a situation that could get them stuck in jail for the rest of their lives.

The acting is pretty good considering the cast is mostly young men with little to no experience. First, you have Anton Yelchin, whom the plot centers around. He is the young man trying to grow up, and finds a real sense of comfort in his captors, as weird as it sounds. He does a great job building a likable, yet flawed character. The film definitely displays likable characters, but the audience has to remember that these characters are not good people. Ben Foster has always been around in my eyes, and he delivers his most intense role yet as the scary and sadistic Jake Mazursky. Very good job. Emile Hirsch is steadily developing into a good leading man after nice turns in Lords of Dogtown and The Girl Next Door. He's the leader of the group, and he has a certain presence despite his small size that reminds the viewer who's in command. Sharon Stone continues to defy my expectations of her after watching her in Bobby and this film. Very intense and powerful performance, which is very heartfelt at the end of the film. However, none of these performances stack up close to that of GASP Justin Timberlake. Timberlake really stood out to me in the film as Frankie, Johnny's best friend. He develops a strong friendship with Yelchin's character, and Timberlake really steals the show the whole time. His character is the most believable and likable of the bunch. Bruce Willis and Shawn Hatosy are also good in limited screen time (I don't think I've seen Willis have this much hair in a long time).

Nick Cassavetes does a good job as director, giving us the exact opposite of his most famous work to date, The Notebook. He delivers the gritty and realistic feel of 1999 Southern California and gets great performances out of actors who you don't really expect it from. The film definitely was better than I expected because of Justin Timberlake. I thought he would make the film worse but he made it better. It has some sex scenes and nudity, not to mention a lot of language, so Alpha Dog isn't really appropriate for anyone under 16 or 17. With a good ensemble cast, a good script, good direction, and a heart wrenching climax, Alpha Dog is a good movie to watch.

8/10 --spy

Powerful and sad!

[richieandsam · 7/10 · 24 October 2013]

ALPHA DOG

This was not what I expected. I didn't really know much about this film. I recorded it off of the TV because it said it had Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone in it… little did I know that they had very small parts.

The movie is a drama about a group of 20 something's all running around in gangs, smoking pot, causing trouble and waving guns around. A rival starts up between Johnny Truelove and Jake Mazursky over an unpaid debt… The rivalry really takes a nasty turn when Johnny kidnaps Jakes brother. All of a sudden, this group of guys has a hostage that actually enjoys hanging out with them. This group are completely useless and have no experience in this kind of thing. It all gets out of control.

The story is based on actual events. We all know that this means that there are a few real parts, but the rest has been completely made up. But either way, this film is very well put together. It is a very interesting story. It is a shame that these guys lives were ruined by something so stupid. It felt like this was an on the spot decision that they will regret for the rest of their lives. It is a sad film in places. You grow to actually like a couple of these guys… but you also really hate a couple of them. It is also very annoying when a character who is the leader of a gang is actually gutless. He lies to his gang to make himself look like the big hard leader, but in reality he hides when there is trouble.

The casting was very good. The actors were Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Justin Timberlake, Vincent Kartheiser, Shawn Hatosy, Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone. There was not one bad actor in this film. They all did great jobs.

The drama was very gripping in this. You really want this film to have a happy ending, but you don't know what is going to happen until you see it. It keeps you hanging really well.

It is not the best drama I have ever seen, but it is still very good.

I will give this film 7 out of 10.

"Dude, this shirt is f****** cool, Bob Marley is cool, you guys think the kidnapping is cool?"

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"A slice of Valley life that went wrong...real wrong..."

[screenwriter-14 · 7/10 · 13 January 2007]

ALPHA DOG is a film that will resonate with the younger generation as its theme of drugs, rap music and sex can be translated through out the world where a group of teens are angry, ignored and violent. Whether it is the San Fernando valley or the Silicon valley, young men and women with time and money to spend on drink, drugs and sex will find the film is very familiar to their life styles. Sad, but true.

The first two acts of the film the dialog is really crude and filthy, and really becomes tiresome, but in relation to young druggies, this is their way of communicating. As an adult, I found it difficult to have any empathy for the young "Alpha males" except for the brilliant role of Anton Yelchin as Zack. He is so wonderful in his role and captures the innocence of a 15 year old and his final horrifying scenes are ones to remember. And Ben Foster as Zack's brother is sensational in a role that is both powerful and frightening at the same time.

I wish this film were one you could find some redemption for, but I felt none at the end and Sharon Stone is once again terrific in a small, but powerful role as the mother. The young cast is awesome and true to the angry youth of today.

Good...disturbing.

[terilynnbrown · 9/10 · 13 January 2007]

That last reviewer is nuts. I wasn't even in the mood to see this kind of a film, but I really got into it and enjoyed myself! Yes, there is a lot of cussing, but the movie is rated R, so it's lot as though it came as a surprise. These characters are freaking drug dealing gang members, for crying out loud--what else would one expect? The acting was excellent, with Justin Timberlake surprising me the most. I didn't think I'd be able to take him seriously, but his performance really was the standout of the film. The characters, for the most part, aren't likable, but very realistic and well-played.

The premise, of course, is based on a true story, but in my opinion was very well put-together so that it wasn't dull in any way, shape, or form. To me, it felt like a better-quality, more entertaining version of films like "Bully" and "Havoc".

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes true-crime dramas.

need more gritty action

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 20 September 2013]

It's 1999 in Claremont, California. Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) is a drug dealer and son of a underworld figure Sonny (Bruce Willis). Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) owes Johnny money, and Johnny decide to kidnap Jake's younger brother Zach (Anton Yelchin). It's just fun and games. Everybody treats this as nothing more than a crime in name only. Johnny's friend Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake) keeps Zach captive, and starts partying with him. But in the end, he's still in danger.

This is Nick Cassavetes film based on a real life crime story. It's a good movie. It had the indictment of youth culture, a shocking real story, and some of the hottest of stars. But having Justin Timberlake is way too distracting. It just scream gimmick. His star power overshadows his character. He needs to have more subtlety with his acting if he's to be the lead. Nick really needs a seasoned dramatic young actor in the role.

Cassavetes should have stayed on task.

[kc1177 · 6/10 · 14 January 2007]

Maybe I just had to wait too long for this one to finally come out. I have never been a Justin Timberlake fan, but he was one of the best things about this movie. You cannot dislike him in this. He does a good job of showing us the moral dilemma he is twisting in. I always love Emile Hirsch but found this character a little one dimensional. Gone were the moments where you can see everything he thinks and feels on his face as when he portrays Z-boy Jay Adams or as Tim Travis in "Imaginary Heroes." He is supposed to be the heartless bad guy in this and since he is portraying a real person perhaps the flatness of this character is due to an accurate depiction of real life Jesse James Hollywood. What this character lacks in emotion, others, such as "Susan" and "Keith," give us a bit more to watch. Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone are believable most of the time, but some moments feel incongruent (Stones final scene for example was over the top and in such a bad way). Likewise Ben Foster's Jake Mazursky is all over the place as a strung out-stressed out loser that starts the whole mess. He has moments of brilliance but otherwise he's just too much. The movie is way too long and tries to focus on every player in this truly tragic story. I would have liked more of Anton Yelchin's Zach and more of the emotional battles of the key characters and far less of the get high and blast out violent rap while insulting our sex partners in front of the whole gang. The story itself is captivating, but the movie tries too hard to do too much and gets in its own way. Yet I don't feel cheated out of the ticket price.

An excellent movie about misguided youth

[starlit-sky · 8/10 · 15 January 2007]

When I saw the rating of this movie on IMDb.com, I couldn't believe my eyes. This movie definitely deserves a much better rating (around 7 would be the appropriate rating). This is a story about spoiled, misguided teenagers who do nothing but smoke pot, drink and party. Understandably, all of the teenager characters act in accordance with this care-free life style. So, you should expect this sort of behavior from them (a lot of cursing, violence, sex, drug usage, etc.). I think the director did a terrific job of portraying the setting for this type of life style.

There are two rival parties of youngsters and one guy, Jake Mazursky, owes some money to another guy, Johnny Truelove. Jake is a typical unruly teenager but his younger brother Zack is a nice kid who seems to have a brighter future than his older brother. But when Jake refuses to pay off his debt to Johnny Truelove, they kidnap his younger brother Zack as a hostage. Surprisingly, Zack develops a nice rapport with his kidnappers; being a nice kid, he easily connects even with the unruly kind. He doesn't even seem to be willing to escape from his kidnappers.

This is an excellent film showing the extend of damage that can be caused by the misguided youngsters. They live in a world where even the most stupid acts can be accepted as being "cool" or "desirable". Too much pot smoking and drugs, not enough oxygen in the brain cells. Are these kids really that stupid or are they stupefied by all the drugs they take? I think this is a movie all parents should watch and they should watch it really carefully before things are too late.

Amateurish effort

[hall895 · 4/10 · 2 March 2011]

Alpha Dog tells the story of a group of young, suburban gangsters. They think they're big, bad tough guys. They're not. They're just stupid little punks. Emphasis on "stupid". One fine day the leader of this group of morons decides, on the spur of the moment, to kidnap somebody. These idiots probably couldn't pull off shoplifting a pack of gum so it is safe to say that kidnapping proves well beyond their criminal capabilities. Things spiral out of control. None of the morons knows what to do so they just run around saying bleep this, bleep that, bleep everything. If you take out all uses of a certain four-letter word which starts with "f" and ends with "k" this would essentially be a silent movie. What we have here is a bunch of moronic degenerate lowlifes in a rather moronic movie.

The characters are completely distasteful but that doesn't necessarily doom the movie to failure. Amateurish acting, directing, writing and photography...that's the combination which sinks the movie. Then when you add in the fact that you'll inevitably hate every significant character save one what you end up with is one terrible, depressing movie. The only actor to come out of this mess with any kind of credit is Anton Yelchin who plays the young kidnapping victim. He gives a believable, endearing performance. Others are not so fortunate. Emile Hirsch makes hardly any impression at all as the gang leader. Which is better than can be said for the actors playing the rest of the bad guys. They're all rather terrible. Shawn Hatosy is entirely unconvincing in his part. Ben Foster goes ridiculously over the top in playing a strung-out Jewish guy...with a swastika tattoo. Then there's Justin Timberlake. He actually has one scene near the end in which he's quite good. It's as if an acting coach suddenly turned up on the set that day. Other than that? Dear Lord is he bad. The girls in the movie...Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Amber Heard, Dominique Swain...seem to be there for purely decorative purposes. You also get Sharon Stone, who at one point dons the most ridiculous looking fatsuit you've ever seen. And Bruce Willis is in the movie too. I have no idea why. Perhaps he lost a bar bet with the director. The movie is pretty much a failure all the way around. Terribly written, terribly acted, terribly paced...mind-numbingly boring at times. It's a sad story about one poor boy surrounded by a bunch of reprehensible losers. The saddest thing of all is that the movie is based on a true story. This actually happened. These miserably stupid, vile, disgusting people actually exist in this world. Makes you lose a little faith in humanity.

not sure who the ideal audience is for this film

[LeonardMaltinsBalls · 7/10 · 14 January 2007]

Short and sweet, this movie is about a "gang" (that actually just consists of rich white boys in California who bank on selling weed), and the people who owe them money. They kidnap a 15 year old played by Anton Yeltchen (who, in the movie, is the brother of Ben Foster, who owes them $1,200), only Anton is glad to be kidnapped cause he resents his over-bearing parents, and gets a glimpse into this anything-goes, 24-hours-a-day-party-scene of the rich and responsibility-free youth of the west coast. Then during the last few minutes of the movie you see these guys facing the consequences of what they've done.

All in all, I went to see this because it's John Cassevetes' son who made it. I am fairly neutral on Justin Timberlake, or was prior to seeing this. IF NOTHING ELSE this movie is worth seeing for the performances. Seriously, Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, and most of the other guys are SO good. Bruce Willis is awesome too. If nothing else, Nick Cassavetes, although definitely going in a different direction than his father did, is allowing his characters to become who they are playing. The acting is very real. So at least that runs in the family. The actual story telling is questionable, and pretty Luke-warm. I wasn't expecting much, but was very pleased when the suspense in the last hour of the film was making me very anxious. That rarely happens.

The style of the film was an unbalanced mix of faux documentary/re-enactment and hand held, crime drama stuff, with a mix of verity testimonials (but so few that it was just awkward). If he had committed to any of the above it would have been a lot less mushy. Also, there wasn't quite enough spoon-feeding to please the high schoolers sneaking in to see justin timberlake, and not quite enough realism to please a fan of his father.

It sure was better than the Notebook.

Wait for it, it does get better!

[ViernesTresAM · 7/10 · 5 January 2012]

The only reason I started watching this film is because I think Emile Hirsh and Anton Yelchin are good actors. At first, it seemed good talent wasted, and I couldn't stop wondering what was Bruce Wilis doing. However, my advice is to carry on watching the movie because if you can get passed the horrible acting of Justin Timberlake, suspense starts building up, characters develop in an unexpectedly deep way, and the climax scene makes this movie. It really saves it. The acting of Yelchin in that scene is the main reason why I'm reviewing this film, so that anyone who starts watching sticks up to the end because it's really worth it. Believe me, it really does get better, even GOOD, I dare say. That's why I give it a 7/10.

Not so thrilling - but with some excellent performances

[BeneCumb · 7/10 · 6 October 2012]

Based on real events, this movie is somewhat hectic, too much attention is paid on orgiastic parties driven by drugs and alcohol. The scenes prior to the tragic event are rather superficial. As for the cast, Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone are fine as usual (though their parts are rather small), but the real surprises to me were Ben Foster, Anton Yeltchin and Justin Timberlake, especially the latter, who is mostly soft and "dilatory" in his music, but gave a remarkably tough performance in the movie. Female characters did not differ much to me - most of them were just used and sometimes abused by those young males, who often called them bitches.

However, it is strange that, in the U.S., for such a conduct (I mean this pseudo-kidnapping where the "victim" could freely move, party and had no hard feelings towards the involved) it is possible to get life sentence! But potential harsh penalty can provoke desperate measures...

I assume the movie is meant to be a warning for hedonistic youngsters and as a hint that "all criminals get caught", but it is still watchable - but not a family movie.

Shocking , it's really really good

[atinder · 7/10 · 7 August 2009]

I didn't think, I would like this movie as I am not into these kinda of movies, I gave this movie to my brother for his birthday but never watch it until that today.

I was thinking the movie was not going to be that good, the acting will be bad but that sure changed after I put the DVD on.

This movie start of with little party, then it dose not take too long to get to action, when Jake gatecrashes Johnn'y part they both come to a blow.

The next morning Zach who just had argument with is parents,sneak out of his room, only to be kidnapped by Johnny and he pals.

Zach's is okay with it, figuring his brother will pay the debt soon. Johnny tells

Frankie to be Zach's minder and they become really good friends, While Zach is being kidnapped, he really enjoying drinking and smoking.

It can get bit silly, that a lot of people know that his been kidnapped but that the only downside.

but my god the ending,I was shocked I didn't think it would end that way, it was so shocking.

Acting was really good, great movie

7/10

good and bad

[losxn · 6/10 · 13 January 2007]

I think the reality of the film is in between both the opinions. Like they say, the truth lies somewhere in between the two extremes. I think the acting was great - except for the overacting moments. I though the beginning was horrible, especially the opening sequence with over the rainbow. It was so bad. Everything after Sharon Stone's interview felt tacked on. It should have ended with her. In between it accomplished a few good things. But there were sooo many characters and changes in the end, the movie is about Justin Timberlake(who was great) character and the kidnapped kid. I think aside from the initial establishing of the "gang" the acting was great and was the ONLY reason the movie succeeded. I honestly think it was HORRIBLY directed. The cinematography was just as bad and was awkward (like the shot of a truck speeding towards the camera on an empty highway) If a director like Alfonso Cuaron would have directed I think it would have been unforgettable. But in its current state its pretty much a even mixture of art and crap.

Raw,gritty and great!

[imdbbl · 20 October 2009]

Alpha Dog is based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz and related events in 2000. The story revolves around a drug deal gone awry. Jake Mazursky(Ben Foster) didn't pay Johny Truelove(Emile Hirsch) the money he was suppose to. Infuriated, Johny, with the help of his friends, kidnaps Jake Mazursky's brother, 15 year old Zack Mazursky(Anton Yelchin) as some sort of ransom to force Jake to pay him. Johnny's friends eventually become attached to the kid and the boy is actually having the time of his life but in the end something terrible happens... Be aware that Alpha Dog is raw and gritty, after all the film portrays, in part at least, the world of drug dealing, but one can argue that it portrays, as well, how an entire generation in America is in disgrace, some chose to be delinquents but for others, this is all they've known their entire lives and their parents exhibit the same kind of behavior. Cassavetes did a great job telling this story and the cast was exceptional. Ben Foster is truly amazing as the crazy and deranged drug addict Jake Mazursky and Anton Yelchin was perfect as Jake's naive little brother and god damn it, even Justin Timberlake delivered! Towards the end of the movie he plays an emotional scene so well that you can't help but wonder if he didn't chose the wrong career. Emile Hirsch wasn't bad but was definitely out shined by the rest of the cast. The supporting cast is composed by such actors as Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Amber Heard and Olivia Wilde. Overall, Alpha Dog is a well directed and extremely well acted movie that seems to depict in a very truthful way a very unfortunate event. Definitely a good watch!

7.5/10

A Nutshell Review: Alpha Dog

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 6 October 2007]

There will come a time where actors and actresses will decide to take on a role that will break the mold of their idoldom, and shed those cute, goody two shoes image for something that could demonstrate and add some depth to their credibility. So taking on more edgy, angst characters might just be their quick solution. Anne Hathaway lost her clothes and borrowed a foul mouth for her turn in Havoc, and Justin Timberlake here lost his coolness but almost always brought sexy back in his scenes, despite having tattoos riddling his toned body, and adopting as foul a mouth as Hathaway's Allison Lang.

Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog, the closing film of Sundance 2006, tells of a true story, with a little mockumentary spin put on. Alpha Dog is like a Beverly Hills 90210 episode gone all wrong, where rich kids spend all their time in vice activities, including smoking weed (they even grow their own in their backyard), guzzling tonnes of alcohol, humping anything that moves, and peppering their vocabulary with expletives. I swear almost every sentence has the F-word in its numerous permutations, showcasing that it is indeed a word for any occasion.

And it makes you wonder how much trouble these perpetually high bored kids get into so easily, without using their brains much and constantly shooting from their hips. For every action, there is reaction, and without considering the circumstances and outcome, personal pride, ego, or just blind faith, can bring about a chain of events with outcomes that are inevitable. Johnny Truelove (up and coming actor Emile Hirsh, who had starred in Lords of Dogtown, and the upcoming Speed Racer as Speed) and Jake Mazursky (Angel in X3) can't settle their feud over 800 bucks, and bad blood start to spill when boisterous dares under the influence of alcohol become tit for tat revenge. In a mindless spur of the moment retaliation, Jake's brother Zack (Anton Yelchin, he one who will be Chekov in the new Star Trek movie) gets bundled into a van, leaving everyone perplexed just what to do next.

Timberlake, being an idol, gets to portray his character with pretty much being the best of the worst of them all. Being easy going and the man with the plan, he strikes up a brotherly friendship with Zack, which is possibly the number one rule of kidnapping, never to do. Getting chummy with your prey is always bad karma, and hinders hard decisions made. But for the most parts of the movie, this friendship takes centerstage. But that's not to say the rest of the cast were strolling in the park, as Hirsh was excellent in his role as the crazed, dazed and confused de facto leader Johnny Truelove, with his impulses usually getting the best (worse?) out of him. Looking pretty much like a bearded Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond and The Departed, there's a little Catch Me If YOu Can spin in the latter half of the story, with unexpected help from Dad (Bruce Willis, in yet another supporting role).

There are a number of recognizable faces playing supporting roles here, like Sharon Stone and Dominique Swain (she has disappeared for a long time), but the narrative calls for nothing much from them. Perhaps one of the best scenes was a reminisce of the car ride in Seven, with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman driving Kevin Spacey, ad he rattles off his motives and rationale behind what he's doing. In the equivalent here, there was a tinge of sadness, and how it played out to the end will no doubt bring about some very mixed emotions, all rolled into one. If there's any moment from the movie that can justify putting a bum in the seat, this will be my justification.

Those who can't survive listening to obscenities being rattled off with aplomb, or can't bear to witness their idol mouthing off, should steer clear of Alpha Dog. Otherwise, it offers, like Voice of a Murderer, a Crimewatch like narrative that recounts real events, and of course with certain dramatic license taken.

Powerful movie filled with great performances

[juneebuggy · 8/10 · 30 September 2014]

Surprisingly powerful film with strong performances from a huge cast of recognizable faces. Gritty and unsettling how far this "kidnapping" goes which hits home at the end when the audience is told what happened to everyone involved.

It's a fact based drama surrounding a middle class drug dealer and his gang of 20-ish friends who kidnap the teenager brother of a client who owes them money and refuses to pay. Some big surprises in the acting department from a very likable Justin Timberlake and also Anton Yelchin. Ben Foster is F'n crazy but in an awesome way, he continues to impress me the more I see of him and then there's Sharon Stone -Wow, crazy lady in the fat suit. As an FYI The F-word and its derivatives is said 411 times in this movie. 7/11/14

Alpha Dog

[xxstaindrosesxx · 6/10 · 28 January 2007]

This movie is very short of being great. Once you get past all the swearing, drinking, and drug use, the story is actually kind of interesting but not that great. I'm a Justin Timberlake fan and I thought his acting performance was nothing great. He was good as his character but I feel as if the acting performance didn't really give a chance to see his full potential as an upcoming actor. One of the best performances was by Ben Foster who played the brother of kid who is the main character. I thought his performance stood out the most in the whole movie. Otherwise, this movie was mediocre. It could of been better and a lot of the acting was very lame. Also, I understand that the main point of the story is about choices, but bad things happen to people all the time and of all stories, they choose to make this one into a movie. I'm sure there are other stories out there that are more deserving than this one and it is probably why this movie suffers with crappy actors and a boring storyline.

Alpha Dog

[cultfilmfan · 10/10 · 20 January 2007]

Alpha Dog is inspired by actual events and is about a drug dealer named Johnny Truelove who is owed money by an acquaintance of his named Jake. Seeing as Jake is not paying up, Johnny and his gang of friends decide to kidnap Jake's younger brother Zack and hold him until Jake pays. At first Zack is getting along really well with the people who kidnapped him and basically they just party and have fun all the time and Zack is not concerned at all. When Zack's parents and Jake become suspicious of who abducted him Johnny makes a plan with his friends as to what to do and things take a turn for the worst. Alpha Dog has good direction, a good script and good performances by the entire cast. After I left Alpha Dog, I realized just how impressed I was with it. Director and writer Nick Cassavetes does a great job of writing these teenage characters and just showing how they live their day to day lives. There is a certain authentic touch he gives these characters that makes the film all the more real and believable. The performances he gets out of these actors is also really impressive because everyone in this film shines. Near the end of the film the suspense builds up and the tension is delivered well and after the movie I could really feel the power of this film and it really made an impact on me. This is a type of film that left an impact on me that only truly great and powerfully made and delivered films will do. A lot of the film is just these teenage characters hanging out, partying and getting into trouble, but because it felt so real and genuine it was fascinating to watch. The scenes leading up to the powerful conclusion are also well written and I liked how the film looked at times like a documentary and at other times like a regular docudrama. The seediness and gritty nature of these characters and how they live and interact with each other is really showcased very well here and I don't think a film about teenagers and their lives has had such an impact on me since Larry Clark's Kids and Bully. This film is very similar to those films in a lot of ways and at times even borrows in their technique. However seeing as how I loved Kids and Bully this wasn't a problem for me at all and it just added to my love and admiration for this film. For a truly powerful and captivating motion picture that is a genuine and realistic slice of life which really had an impact on me I highly recommend this film. This is also the first film I have seen of 2007 and if there are more films with this kind of style, power and energy this year then 2007 will be a great year for movies.

OK at best

[mattkratz · 7/10 · 6 November 2016]

This is a crime/drug movie. It has an outstanding cast (Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Emile Hirsch, Sharon Stone, the late Anton Yelchin, etc.), but it wasn't quite an outstanding movie. It experiments with techniques like split screen, documentary style, and other styles, but doesn't stick with them long enough, and those work to a certain degree. The movie was a bit unpleasant and featured a gratuitous amount of violence and language (as can be expected for a movie like this), and a story was somewhat present if a little difficult to follow. My favorite scene was the Marco Polo scene in the pool. The cast did try hard and work fairly well together, but the end result wasn't really a classic.

** out of ****

Amazingly Brilliant and Heartwrenching Story.

[binarytix · 10/10 · 10 March 2009]

How did I miss this movie????? Probably because I thought it would be a typical teen/drug movie. Boy was I in for a treat. I cannot understand why people are giving "this" movie anything below 8 STARS. Forget about the story, you can "spoil" yourself by reading most of the other 100 reviews.

What started out like a usual story suddenly turns into something so intense and interesting that it kept me wondering what would happen next for Zack. It is through his short experiences with all these unique characters that kept me asking for more. Yes the parties are over dramatic but everything else was done ever so perfectly. Every actor/actress played their part well. Anton Yelchin played a convincing portrayal of the innocence of a 15 year old. Justin Timberlake? Wow. I could not believe his acting, he started weak but after that he just blew me away. I think because he was in it I had first avoided this movie until now. Also Ben Foster played a gripping character as Zack's older brother(Jake). All the A-class stars played their short but impacting roles as parents.

In the end it left my heart heavy and pounding. A MUST SEE MOVIE that starts slow but picks up the pace so fast. I would rate this movie a 8 but because of so many PITIFUL LOW STARS I have to give it a 10. Those low scores you guys are giving are most useful for movies that REALLY SUCK which this one was not.

Not bad. R rating deserved

[bearcrkrd · 7/10 · 22 January 2007]

Read what reviews I could find, decided to give it a try. Thought it was 50/50 whether it would be any good. Not bad at all. The first few minutes I thought to myself the acting wasn't so good, and the movie was going to be a dud. I ate my bucket of popcorn, paid attention to the screen, and do not regret going to see this movie. The kid who got kidnapped was played/acted real good. The guy who played his older brother did a fine job. If I've seen him before I didn't recognize him. Timberlake was OK. No Oscar, but maybe 2/3 of the way through the movie, I knew him as his character, not Timberlake. I always disliked him a ton. Then watched Saturday Night Live a couple weeks ago. Still don't like his music and tattoos, but that dude is a star. Period! I haven't partied in 25 years, and didn't think the drinking and sex in this movie was anything like what some of the negative reviews, and even some positive reviews spoke about. It was an important part of the story, and well done. Good movie.

Alpha Dog. The poodle that wants to be a pit bull.

[aprovost-2 · 30 July 2007]

Once again we have another faux tough guys and gals film, this time courtesy of upper-middle-class director Cassavetes who has large cast of characters who are all the same person regardless of sex. Each one has the same angst, swears repeatedly in the same manner, and spends a lot of time having the very same manner of sex as everyone else in the film in their all-the-same spacious bedrooms. How can all these dysfunctional adults hold down jobs to pay for those fantastic houses? Anyway, from the beginning, you couldn't care less if they were all murdered, so there is no one to root for. Even the supposedly innocent kidnapped brother is a twit of the first order. Pity too, because the cast are mostly talented and attractive young actors (Justin Timberlake, Emile Hirsh, Alec Vigil) who deserve to begin their careers in something substantial. Most of the adults are forgettable except for the brave Sharon Stone who must have the Bette Davis gene for being willing to look haggard, and Bruce Willis who is becoming the new "I will appear in anything" Michael Caine. This movie has essentially been made again and again by different directors, each trying to prove that he is a tough guy, a maverick, an anti-hero. How? By making sure that no one has morals and using the f words as much as possible. Another tiresome device is all these truly heterosexual males constantly make homoerotic comments to each other that would cause a real straight guy to break your nose and they call their girlfriends bitches, which,I suspect, would have the same effect. I am sure many people will like this film who think that swearing, violence and misogyny is like, you know, duh, deep. But I think it's sad the the son of two giants has so little to say.

a good movie

[macollins-1 · 7/10 · 26 June 2007]

I have only just seen this movie on DVD and have now watched it twice and really enjoyed it.

The movie was fun and yet sobering too as it really shows how the teenagers of today (world over) are or can be influenced in the wrong direction by: Brovado ; family and peer pressure , media and culture.

I didn't realize until after wards that this movie was based on a true story and having put in a little research its appears to be very close to the alleged reality.

The innocence of the 15 year old wanting to be grown up and the stupid outlook on life of the older gang members mixed with the cowardly gang leader and the selfish bigger brother (who actually condemned his brother to death with his reaction to the phone call) all mixed well in the movie and on the whole were believable.

I think Justin was OK too he seems to attract a lot of critics who think he cant act but i think he delivered his role well.

all in all a good movie not a great one but definitely good

Good cast, good story ... good movie!

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 25 March 2007]

I watched the movie in a sneak preview. I didn't really know what I was in for. But I got pleasantly surprised ... I mean Justin Timberlake as an actor? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who had/has prejudices about that. But he was really good. I saw Edison too, but he had Morgan Freeman and others by his side. I still can't say for sure if he acted in this one or if it's just an expansion of his personality (only time will tell . which means more movies with him), but I do think that he is good. Not De Niro/Pacino good, but good! :o) He is the first recognizable name of the young actors of course. You can't obviously forget about Sharon Stone (she's BTW in the one scene I don't like at all, because the scene is to long and it looks like Sharon made the director/editor lengthen that scene, just to show off ... her acting skills) and Bruce Willis. But besides them you also have Ben Foster, who some might know form his TV Work, others from his great job in the movie Hostage, but most will recognise as that Angel in X-Men 3! I could name the other young actors too, whom did all a great job in this movie, but you can also read their names on the IMDb list for the movie.

I liked the movie, because it's an honest, dramatic and sometimes funny look at small time crime-rs.