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 Alpha Dog (2007)
Rated: R for pervasive drug use and language, strong violence, sexuality and nudity.
Runtime: 122 mins.
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Writer: Nick Cassavetes
Cast: Bruce Willis; Justin Timberlake; Matthew Barry; Emile Hirsch ... complete cast
Release Date: January 12, 2007
Genre: Crime/Drama
Tagline: Inspired by true events.
Memorable Quote: "It's ok. Its like another story to tell my grandchildren"
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Official Site: www.alphadogmovie.com/
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| Reel commentary: ... the real story and the stupid decisions made by the perpetrators are far more interesting than anything Cassavetes has to say in his social commentary disguised as a pimped-out, testosterone-fueled crime drama ... full review |
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By Frank Wilkins
The adrenaline-charged teen rebellion drama, Alpha Dog is the grungy retelling of the true story of Jesse James Hollywood, a small-time Southern California drug dealer accused of masterminding the kidnapping and eventual murder of a 15-year old.
Writer/Director Nick Cassavetes, fighting court battles by Hollywood's attorneys to get his new film to the big screen, changes the names and locations of the actual events to deflect attention away from the real crime, preferring to make a statement about America's disaffected youth rather than tell a captivating tale, the plotlines of which have been unfolding in real life for the past several years. This is a big mistake because the real story and the stupid decisions made by the perpetrators are far more interesting than anything Cassavetes has to say in his social commentary disguised as a pimped-out, testosterone-fueled crime drama.
Here Jesse Hollywood is renamed Johnny Truelove and played by Emile Hirsh. Truelove is a street-level marijuana distributor, supplied by his "connected" father, Sonny (Bruce Willis). Johnny is cocksure and swaggering (despite his diminutive stature) in his fragile ivory tower, respected only because of the money he makes and the status such plastic materialism garners. Johnny's persona of "Mr. Tough Guy" is challenged by only one person - a scabby, emaciated tweaker named Jake (Ben Foster) who can't muster the scratch to pay his $1,200 debt owed Johnny.
A tit-for-tat rumble for respect ensues leading to the impromptu kidnapping of Jake's little brother, Zack (Anton Yelchin), by Johnny who holds the teen as a marker for assurance of payment. Zach complicates the situation when he implausibly passes on several opportunities to escape and even begins to fall in with his captors, especially the girls who seem curiously attracted, in a sexual way, to "the stolen boy." The highly impressionable Zach prefers his newfound party life to the impending punishment by his concerned parents who recently discovered his misplaced bong.
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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE as conflicted kidnapper Frankie Ballenbacher
All images copyright © 2007 Universal Pictures
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Circulating within Johnny's lawless oeuvre is a motley crew of ne'er-do-wells with too much idle time and aspirations that never reach higher than the desire to smoke every last pinch of weed in California. Led by the heavily tattooed Frankie (Justin Timberlake), Johnny's friends hang out smoking weed, and enjoying the cash flow and steady stream of willing and ready girls. Timberlake's Frankie is clearly the most difficult and nuanced character and the closest to anything resembling likeability or deserving of sympathy. And Timberlake handles the challenges surprisingly well. Stuck with watching after Zach, Frankie seems to get unwillingly caught up in the snowball of violence and consequences escalated by Johnny's reluctance to just let the kid go. Don't get me wrong. Timberlake's no Marlon Brando here nor is his character as complex as a Stanley Kowalski. But in a sea of despicability and repugnance, Timberlake manages to stay afloat with a smidge of pity. There's enough interest and connection to make us want to see if he'll do the right thing.
Cassavetes wants his film to feel like a non-fiction documentary so he includes distracting graphic timelines (a la TV's 24 and Law & Order) and disrupts the narrative with fake interviews supposedly conducted after the crimes were committed. This would probably have been a successful approach to telling the story were it not for the off-putting indictments and half-baked messages about the new suburban, white, middle-class American youth raised by mostly absent parents who prevent their children from developing their own identities or something to that effect. If you're going to dramatize it, get creative. If you want it to be a parallel reenactment, lay off the commentary.
Alpha Dog is a hard film to watch. On display are the lives of violently self-destructive kids with whom most of us have nothing in common. These are bad guys who do bad things with no respect for the consequences of leading such lives. Harsh language, ruthless violence and a propensity for disrespect are the order of the day. No one is likable and very few redeeming moments come from watching the film. Still, it's curiously intriguing and the performances of the ensemble cast are strong enough to see you through to the end. Cassavetes' experience in front of the camera shows in the way he's able to get such strong performances from the actors, especially relative newcomer Justin Timberlake.
The true story of the tragic event is indeed appealing in some sort of morbidly inquisitive way. But that curiosity can be better satisfied by a search on the Internet than in such a disjointed and preachy affair as Alpha Dog.
Frank Wilkins
 Comments
Anonymous says:
March 9, 2007 at 11:15
your movie was great!!!!!!
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gman says:
February 22nd, 2007 at 15:26
when the kid got shot did they use a dummy i no its a dumd ? but it looked so real
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Negative says:
May 9. 2007 03:33:28
I disagree with some of the statements you've made. Being a teenager myself, I know tons that can relate to the characters in this movie. a lot of teens are into the drug scene now whether you know about it or not. and while most people expect the drug users to be poor black teens with no future...its the white kids with money that buy most of the time. I know this is your opinion...but just because YOU didn't relate to any of them does not mean NOBODY can relate to them.
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Jay says:
Jun 14. 2007 16:55
DUDE THIS MOVIE WAS GREAT AT FIRST IT LOOKED ALL GAY UNTIL I SAW IT TODAY AND IT WAS AWSUM I FELT BAD FOR FRANKIE THOUGH THAT WAS MESSED UP
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Anonymous says:
Jun 15. 2007 10:47
omg this movie was like a really sad movie i cried and think that it was really messed up about what had happend in this movie but i really liked this movie when i seen it
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g-nah says:
Jun 19. 2007 21:19
I saw this movie for the first time today. I thought that it was really good, even though I would have liked to know what happend to Jack(elvis) after he found out about his brother. The ending for me was very hard to watch, it was really crazy how Frankie still went along with it and lied to Zach the whole time and then just let him die.
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ananamas says:
Jun 26. 2007 15:32
i really really loved the movie, the cast was great together, i just wish that somehow jake would have caught up with johnny and done something to him for the whole kidnapping thing, but i guess thats just not what happend in real life, and i felt really bad for frankie cause he was a good guy caught up in all the bad and that actually did happen for real i guess. great movie.
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Nikkii says:
Aug 23. 2007 17:43
i luv this movie i kinda liked the ending i didnt kno it would end like tht tho but all in all it was a great movie!!!!
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Sam says:
Sep 27. 2007 17:43
This was the greatest movie that I have ever watched in my life!!!!!
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Rocky says:
Oct 4, 2008 01:43
I hated this movie an dwho ever liked it was sick and twisted YOU FREAKS
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Alleh says:
Nov 13, 2008 03:05
This movie was really sad, I was crying when they had the real mother of the boy on the end.. It was really hard to watch.. Bless her soul. :(
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Your Ad Here
Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Language and Sound: English: Dolby Digital 5.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; making-of featurette.
Number of discs: - 1- Keepcase Packaging
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Buy the DVD
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Buy the
Soundtrack
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| Bruce Willis |
.... |
Sonny Truelove |
| Matthew Barry |
.... |
Interviewer |
| Emile Hirsch |
.... |
Johnny Truelove |
| Fernando Vargas |
.... |
Tiko "TKO" Martinez |
| Vincent Kartheiser |
.... |
Pick Giamo |
| Justin Timberlake |
.... |
Frankie Ballenbacher |
| Shawn Hatosy |
.... |
Elvis Schmidt |
| Heather Wahlquist |
.... |
Wanda Haynes |
| Alex Solowitz |
.... |
Bobby “911” |
| Alec Vigil |
.... |
P.J. Truelove |
| Harry Dean Stanton |
.... |
Cosmo Gadabeeti |
| Frank Cassavetes |
.... |
Adrian Jones |
| Nicole Dubos |
.... |
Neighborhood Girl on Couch |
| Regina Rice |
.... |
"Dance Bitch" Girl |
| Laura Nativo |
.... |
Party Girl |
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