Alpha Dog
January. 27,2006 RJohnny Truelove likes to see himself as tough. He's the son of an underworld figure and a drug dealer. Johnny also likes to get tough when things don't go his way. When Jake Mazursky fails to pay up for Johnny, things get worse for the Mazursky family, as Johnny and his 'gang' kidnap Jake's 15 year old brother and holds him hostage. Problem now is what to do with 'stolen boy?'
Similar titles
You May Also Like
Reviews
Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike
Please don't spend money on this.
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
So, I thought this was a good movie- not great. I guess I was expecting a bit more than what I got from it. But don't get me wrong, the film DID deliver, there was just nothing extra with it or especially special about it. (Lol, that may be a tongue twister, my apologies if so!!) Anyway, even with that being said, Alpha Dog is definitely worth a view, at least, as it shows the importance of independence and being able to think for ourselves. The actors all do a wonderful job, and I'll focus that comment a little more toward Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster. Exceptional! And both Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis veer away from their usual characters in this one- and Sharon Stone's appearance at the end- WOW!!! So if you haven't seen this movie yet, go ahead and watch it. It won't be a waste of time or $, and who knows? You may even enjoy it more than I did.
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.
Initially, I wasn't impressed with this film. There was a bunch of young drug dealers, trying to be overly rad and slick, with Bruce Willis giving a very tired performance and with unlikable main characters. But, as the main story started to unfold and we truly got to know these characters, I was actually pulled into their world, their point of view, their personal ideas and personalities. It wasn't a pleasant world and not one I'd want to live in, but I got to understand it a little bit better. In addition, this movie understands that in order for us to sympathize with a character, we first have to understand that character. We have to see where he's coming from, what has happened to him before the actual conflict that has put him under duress. We may not agree with the character despite all that, but we will at least understand his perspective, his point of view. The world of young, idiotic and foolhardy drug dealers is explored in great deal in this film, with some excellent role performances from Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake and, most of all, from Anton Yelchin, who really made us feel for the character of Zack. All in all it's not a bad film. The beginning is kind of off-putting, but as the stakes start to get higher with time passing, so does the quality of the film rise. And by the time of the third act, I found myself immersed into this film.
I'm rather puzzled why Alpha Dog got such a rough ride from the critics. There is nothing sensationalist about it, nothing pretentious, it is well-acted by its young cast and above all it is honest. So why didn't the critics seem to like it? Well, I don't know. It is a fictionalised account – though, in truth only small details were changed so that the overall story is pretty much true – of a kidnapping and subsequent murder of a teenager by a bunch of feral and affluent teens whose aims in life consist purely of drinking, taking drugs and engaging in casual sex. To a boy – it would be misleading to write 'to a man' because this bunch, although in their late teens and early 20s – all seem to have the maturity of retarded primary school kids – they take their world view from the pseudo-violent gangsta rap videos which they play incessantly. They own guns but treat them more as a fashion item than a usable weapon, and their heroes are apparently the drug dealers portrayed on their cherished videos. They get precious little parental guidance. Incidentally, although the bunch shown in this film and the real-life idiots they are based on live and party in prosperous Los Angeles suburbs, I suspect it would be wholly unfair to assume this kind of idiot is only to be found in California. I'm sure they will be found in any city in the world where money is plentiful and parents are more concerned with their own lives than that of their offspring. The tragedy unfolds when stupidity mixes with a non-existent moral framework and one idiot decides that cold-blooded murder is preferable to spending time in jail, and another, something of a sycophant, is fully prepared to carry out the killing without any qualms whatsoever. To be fair, one of the young men involved does have pangs of conscience but these are not strong enough for him to do the decent thing and put an end to it all, which would have been very easy indeed. One of the most chilling moments is when he is offered $2,500 to kill the teenage hostage. He turns the offer down flat, but is stupid enough to accept that it was made only in jest. Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy and Justin Timberlake prove that a new generation of talented actors is well on its way and do well as the central characters, and film has a cohesion which holds together what is a simply tale. Writer/director Nick Cassavetes cannot in the slightest be accused of glamorising the kind of hedonistic behaviour his characters engage in, in fact he goes out of his way to highlight just how pointless and potentially dangerous there lifestyle is. If anything Alpha Dog is a moral tale. But the critics didn't like it. Why? I really don't know, but that is no reason why you shouldn't give it some of your time.