May 12, 2007
Alpha Dog
Alpha Dog
With harrowing intensity, Alpha Dog dramatizes one of the most tragically notorious murders in recent history. Ripped from the headlines, writer-director Nick Cassavetes' flawed but riveting crime drama (a polar opposite to his previous film, the romantic hit The Notebook) is based on the real-life case of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer in California's San Gabriel Valley who, in 2000, became one of the youngest men to appear on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. Names and details have been changed, but the criminal circumstances remain the same: With family links to organized crime, Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) is on the warpath against Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), a sleazebag addict who owes him money. Fate intervenes when Johnny and his stoner pals including Frankie (Justin Timberlake) encounter Jake's 15-year-old half-brother Zack (Anton Yelchin) and hold him as collateral until Jake pays his debts. What begins as a casual, seemingly harmless situation escalates into a crisis of capital crime, as Alpha Dog employs split-screen, docudrama, and mock-documentary interviews to chronicle a tragic tailspin of reckless events and lawless behavior.
I knew the circumstances of the real case, I knew the real life ending, but I kept hoping for a different outcome the whole way through.
The little brother Zack, is a likable kid, just wanting to help his big brother Jake out of a sticky mess, he has no idea what's going to happen to him until the very last minute.
His heart wrenching pleas for his own life, had me teary eyed, I just wanted this to not end in such a tragic way.
This is a really good movie, it's not for everyone though. There is a lot of drug use, violence and sex.
If true crime thrillers and action are your thing, Alpha Dog is a good choice.
I was really surprised by Justin Timberlake's performance.
He did much better than I thought he was going to.
I'm not a huge fan of his music, but I think he did a fine job as an actor.
