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Alpha Dog (2006)

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217 comments in total

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357 out of 482 people found the following comment useful :-
Surprisingly good, 5 febrero 2006

Author: farrellrose de Hollywood

I got a chance to see a screening of this at Sundance.

This movie sucks you in, seduces you, entrances you, then whacks you over the head with a baseball bat.

It starts off fairly annoying... bunch of pimply-faced white wanna-be's spouting rapid fire ghetto speak with rap music blaring in the background. Eminem would be proud. I thought to myself, "oh no, here we go to one dimensional city...".

But after a while these characters became very likable. These are REAL characters, living a really dangerous life style. The effect is similar in Goodfellas... they're so bad, so annoying, but fascinating, and free in ways ordinary people aren't. They do what they want, when they want and give you a bloody nose if you try and stop them.

There's a mood, an energy, a style that Cassavettes was able to capture and portray that made this film so far removed from any clichéd studio product geared toward teenyboppers. The film feels honest and genuine, and that's the difference.

At a certain point, after all the partying, and boozing and drugging, the film takes a turn for the worse and climaxes into a gut wrenching, horrible tragedy that left me (and the audience) stunned.

Overall it's an extremely well crafted film, definitely worth seeing.

And I almost forgot to mention the biggest surprise of all... Justin Timberlake. Forget what you know, forget N'SYNC, this guy is a real actor. I almost feel strange saying this, but it's true... He was stunning, almost stole the movie; crackled whenever he was on screen. He has all the right ingredients for a stellar acting career; charisma, screen presence, that separates him from the pretty faced phonies clogging the movie screens. Every moment he was on screen he was doing something that worked, and he makes it look easy, the most important trait a great actor has. I'll definitely be watching his acting career very closely from now on.

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135 out of 172 people found the following comment useful :-
Good...disturbing., 13 enero 2007

Author: terilynnbrown de United States

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.

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99 out of 120 people found the following comment useful :-
A Great Film., 14 enero 2007

Author: ajbo de Newport Beach, Orange County, CA

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.

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103 out of 149 people found the following comment useful :-
An excellent movie about misguided youth, 15 enero 2007

Author: Serkan Okar (the_divine_spirit@yahoo.com) de Toronto, Canada

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.

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25 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
underrated morality tale taken from today's headlines, 19 mayo 2007

Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) de United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Although many of the actual names and locations have been changed for the movie, Nick Cassavetes' "Alpha Dog" tells the largely fact-based story of a particularly heinous homicide that took place in Southern California in the summer of 2000 (changed to the fall of 1999 for the film). The crime involved a group of young drug dealers who kidnapped, then eventually murdered, the 15-year-old brother of a fellow drug dealer who owed the ringleader money and who, largely out of stubbornness and pride, refused to pay up the debt. After the discovery of the body, most of the perpetrators were convicted and sent to prison, but the mastermind, Jesse James Hollywood (called Johnny Truelove in the movie), managed to flee to South America where, in 2005, he was eventually arrested and sent back to the States to face trial on the charge of murder-in-the-first-degree.

"Alpha Dog" provides a grim, depressing look at the dark underbelly of American society where amoral, disenfranchised and disaffected youth play life-and-death games with drugs and guns, often with tragic consequences. In the case of this story, what begins almost as a spontaneous lark suddenly turns into deadly serious business as events begin to spiral further and further out of control as the story races ever more rapidly to its pre-ordained and inexorably tragic conclusion. Cassavetes has written a tight script that captures the fast-paced, drug-soaked milieu in which these young people do their "business." Yet, even though a number of the boys display a callous disregard for life, there are others who see the wrongness of what they are doing but who, through fear or misplaced loyalty or simply a belief that things "would never really go that far," fail to put the brakes on the whole sordid affair before it is too late. It is in that context that Truelove relinquishes his role as the main focal point of the film in favor of Frankie Ballenbacher, a cheerfully sardonic wise guy whose job it is to watch over the boy while Johnny figures out what next to do with him. As Frankie becomes more and more attached to the kid, it becomes harder and harder for him to comply with Johnny's ultimate order of liquidating him. Frankie, thus, becomes the emotional buy-in point for the audience, even more so than the kidnapped boy himself.

There are fine performances by Emile Hirsch, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Foster ("Six Feet Under"), Bruce Willis, Harry Dean Stanton and Sharon Stone, among others, but it is Justin Timberlake, as the high-strung but basically goodhearted Frankie, who walks off with the film. In his every moment on screen, the charismatic Timberlake brings an intensity, shrewdness and liveliness to his performance that bodes well for his future career in movies.

In his direction, Cassavetes generates a starkness of vision and moodiness of tone that are greatly enhanced by the brooding, darkly-lit camera-work of French cinematographer Robert Fraisse.

The movie has a few weaknesses. The faux-interview scenes, which Cassavetes periodically interjects into the film, don't do much to enhance the storyline and succeed only in confusing the audience and interrupting the action. Moreover, the ending comes upon us much too abruptly, depriving us of a sense of completion and catharsis, particularly in regards to Frankie's apprehension and feelings of remorse over what he did, as well as the older brother's reaction to the discovery of his sibling's body. And there are sporadic rare moments, mainly in the early part of the film, where one gets the sense that the cast members are "playacting" rather than truly inhabiting their parts. But these impressions are few and very fleeting and, for the most part, the actors do an admirable job of conveying the down-and-dirty reality of the life they are portraying.

"Alpha Dog" turns the spotlight on a subset of society we may not want to admit is there but which nonetheless exerts a tremendous negative influence on all our lives. The film serves as an alarm signal and a wakeup call that we ignore at our own peril.

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42 out of 64 people found the following comment useful :-
Alpha Dog, 20 enero 2007

Author: cultfilmfan de Canada

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.

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42 out of 70 people found the following comment useful :-
Cassavetes should have stayed on task., 14 enero 2007

Author: kc1177 de United States

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.

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32 out of 52 people found the following comment useful :-
"A slice of Valley life that went wrong...real wrong...", 13 enero 2007

Author: screenwriter-14 de United States

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.

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21 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
Timberlake Surprises, 1 febrero 2007

Author: JP Paxton de United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Taking place in southern California, 'Alpha Dog' is based on the 1999 kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz (here named Zack Mazursky). Not only does director Nick Cassavetes focus on the obvious ripped from the headlines story, he also zooms in and sheds light on another aspect. That of which being not all gangsters, or wannabe gangsters in this case, are masterminds. Sometimes, the alpha dog is actually the least intelligent member of the pack.

Addict Jake Mazursky owes a debt of $1,200 to drug dealer Johnny Trulove. Convinced he will never pay up, Johnny and some of his lackeys kidnap Jake's 15-year-old brother, Zack. What at first is just a simple prank, swiftly becomes a serious situation. Johnny and lackey, Frankie, played by Justin Timberlake, soon find out they could receive a sentence of life in jail for their little "prank". Now in a state of worry, they begin to consider their options. Fear of Zack spilling the beans in the end overtakes them and leads to what they believe to be the only solution; murdering the young teen.

Opening with an odd montage of old family footage set to 'Over the Rainbow', may leave those who don't know the events the film is based on confused. The confusion only grows as the film finally starts and looks as if to be going nowhere. It's not until Zack's kidnapping everything comes together and the plot is revealed. From here on out the film goes into cruise control keeping almost the same feel up until just before the murder.

The main problem though in 'Alpha Dog' lies within its length. It's not really long to begin at one hour and forty-nine minutes. It looks though like there's a lot of idle time. Most of it is taken up by drinking and smoking. The conclusion is even unnecessary. The mock-interview with Zack's mother, Olivia played by Sharon Stone, should have been where the film ends. That would have given the film the power and oomph it aims for, but never quite reaches.

As far as the acting seen goes, Justin Timberlake steals the show. At first it's a little hard to accept him as a the suburban thug he's playing. It doesn't take long though before the Frankie's true character comes out, showing he's actually a softy who doesn't want anything bad to happen to Zack. He even tries a few times to let him get away, but Zack doesn't take him up on the offer. This side of the role is much more fitting for Timberlake seeing as he doesn't exactly give off the tough guy vibe.

Going into seeing 'Alpha Dog' I didn't expect it to be anything special. The fact it stars Justin Timberlake kind of turned me off to it a little. The fact he turned out to be the only real actor to shine in it really surprised me. He's not the only upside to the film though. Cassavetes presents just enough suspense and emotional distress to make it all work. There's something else too that I can't quite put my finger on that made it appealing. Possibly because even though I knew Zack was going to die, I still held a little bit of hope that he'd live. I really felt bad for Yelchin's character. The lines he gives on the way up the mountain to where his murder takes place all make you want this poor kid to survive the inevitable even more. With that, I'll end with saying out of all the films released in 2007 that I've seen so far, 'Alpha Dog' is the best.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
almost Omega Dog, 3 mayo 2007

Author: movieman_kev de United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, this true life cautionary tale of Jessie James Hollywood (here renamed Johnny Truelove and played by Emile Hirsch of "girl Next Door" fame) and his infamous kidnapping and subsequent death of Nick Markowitz (redeemed Zack Mazursky and played by Anton Yelchin best known for "Hearts in Atlantis), seems slickly made but is also deeply exploitative. Having made the movie this soon after the actual events, don't expect the film to have any significant closer to it. Asking the viewer to have even a little sympathy for the victimizers (this film is guilty of that on occasion) is not that palatable for me. The movie is not that well acted, except for Ben Foster as the kidnapped kid's bother and if you want to stretch the term 'good' just a bit, i might hesitantly include Timberlake who at slightly above average is still a lot better then i thought he would be. Kepp an eye out for the scene with Sharon Stone in the most laughably awful 'fat' make-up that I've ever seen. This is better then Cassavete's earlier John Q, but not by much and it's no less simple-minded.

DVD Extras: Behind the scenes featurette; time-line of the witnesses; an ad for HD-DVD; and Trailers for "Breach", "Children of Men", "Smokin' Aces", "Hot Fuzz" & the remake of "the Hitcher"

Eye Candy: Amber Heard, Amanda Seyfried, and Olivia Wilde all get topless; while Heather Wahlquist showcases her magnificent ass

My Grade: D

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