Alpha Dog
Alpha Dog is a 2006 drama film directed and written by Nick Cassavetes. The film is based on true events of the kiddnaping and murder of 15 year old Nicholas Markowitz in 1999 and the involvment of Jesse James Hollywood a young drug dealer in California.
Set in November 1999, Alpha Dog tells the story of drug dealer Johnny Truelove, Despite being only 19 years old, Johnny owns his own house and car. Johnny has a circle of loyal friends, including Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake) and Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy), the latter of whom does household chores for Johnny to pay his debt to him, but is constantly ridiculed by Johnny and Frankie for being spineless. Johnny’s father, Sonny Truelove (Bruce Willis), supplies his son with the marijuana which he both sells and personally use.
At one of Johnny’s many parties he meets with Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), one of Johnny’s friends and part time distributers. All the trouble starts when Jake fails to collect a drug debt, they fight and Johnny pulls a gun but lets him go.
Later in the movie we meet Jake’s younger brother half brother, 15 year old Zach (Anton Yelchin) which johnny decides to kidnap and hold for ransom to get back at Jake.
This movie was annoying, compelling, amazing and spine chilling all at the same time. at the start i was thinking to myself COME ON just please get to the point and i felt i knew what was coming but let me tell you i sure as hell didnt.
it may all sound fairly played out and done before, but this film is electrifying in every sense of the word. It’s amazing. It’s hardcore. It’s gritty. It’s raw. When watching it you feel as though your 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 were a few notable annoyances, well at least i found them annoying, sometimes i felt as though certain scenes were dragged on and it all had been said but i guess that was for effect, the other was all the 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.
But the thing i LOVED most about this movie was the cast and top performances all round, Emile Hirsch, Bruce Willis, Anton Yelchin and Espicially but suprisingly Justin Timberlake and i know what your all thinking OH NO! but let me tell everyone that if your not a fan, you will be after this little performance. this film is really not one 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.
