Movie Review: Alpha Dog

Alpha Dog (2007) 

Directed by Nick Cassavetes

Written by Nick Cassavetes 

Starring Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, Ben Foster, Bruce Willis

Release Date January 15th, 2006 

Published January 15th, 2006

The true story of small time pot dealer Jesse James Hollywood should never have become a movie. Hollywood was just another punk teenager in the San Fernando Valley selling weed and acting like a gangster. He would have gotten popped by the cops eventually and spent a couple of years in jail and never been heard from at all.

One fatal decision, one stupid moment, and Jesse James Hollywood went from poser to being the youngest person ever placed on the FBI's most wanted list. How Jesse gained such infamy is the backstory of the movie Alpha Dog from writer-director Nick Cassavetes. Compelling yet pointless, Alpha Dog wants to be a Shakespearean tragedy but acts more like an out of control episode of MTV's Laguna Beach.

Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) was a low level drug dealer in the San Fernando Valley who lived for money, sex and the adulation of his small band of friends and hangers on. Johnny's father Sonny (Bruce Willis) was a successful criminal with rumored ties to the mob. Johnny used his father's connections to make himself a mini empire.

On the periphery of Johnny's little kingdom is Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) a tweaked out ex-con with a serious drug problem. Jake owed Johnny 1200 bucks and when he can't come up with the cash a violent encounter leads to a deadly rivalry that escalates eventually to murder. Jake's little brother Zack (Anton Yelchin) gets dragged into the fight when Johnny and his pals Frankie (Justin Timberlake) and TKO (Fernando Vargas) grab him off the street as a hostage.

At first the kidnapping is a bit of a goof. Just a group of teenagers playing gangsters and imitating what they have seen in the movies. As things start to get more and more out of control an air of inevitability settles in and a story that should have ended with Zack heading home and telling his mom and dad he ran away for a few days, ends with murder.

Alpha Dog is a true story. A 20 year old drug dealer named Jesse James James Hollywood is the real life Johnny Truelove. He was a drug dealer and after the death of the younger brother of his rival, he became the youngest person ever on the FBI's most wanted list. What director Nick Cassavetes movie tells us is that we should never have heard of Jesse James Hollywood.

Had Jesse and his pals just let their hostage go, everyone would have walked away unharmed. Sure Jesse and his boys would have ended up in prison eventually but not for this senseless murder.

Writer-director Nick Cassavetes has said that this film is not really about the crime committed as it is about the parents who allowed it to happen. The film is dotted with moments where those who should know better, from Johnny's criminal dad, played by Bruce Willis, to Frankie's pot dealer dad, parents had many opportunities to realize what was going on, but were either too selfish or too clueless to stop it.

One of the sadder moments of Alpha Dog occurs between Dominique Swain as Susan and her mother Tiffany played by Alex Kingston. Susan is the only one of the teens to realize the danger that Zach was in and when she attempted to stop it by speaking to her mother, the blow off she gets is the film's ultimate example of parental neglect.

There are a number of good scenes in Alpha Dog. The one I just mentioned between Swain and Kingston is powerful as are scenes featuring Ben Foster as the crazed Jake Mazursky. Foster is frightening as a tweaked out druggie who is likely more dangerous than anyone else in the story and yet he is more together in the end than Johnny and his crew.

One of the most surprising things about Alpha Dog is the strong performance of pop star Justin Timberlake. With his effortless charm and natural good looks, Timberlake has that “it” quality that defines a star. His Frankie is sympathetic and gregarious and watching Frankie, who takes up more screen time than you expect, makes the film's conclusion seem so devastatingly avoidable.

Anton Yelchin is heartbreaking as Zach Mazursky the kidnapped kid. One of those kids who just aimed to please, Zach never made trouble, even after getting beaten up and tied up and gagged in a strangers bathroom. Zach remained affable and friendly with his captors as they threatened his life. Eventually, his winning innocence won over a few of his captors who made him one of the group, got him high, and helped him meet girls. His acceptance guarantees he never would have talked to the cops about his captors, yet another heartbreaking detail of this horrible story.

The performances in Alpha Dog are, for the most part, quite good. However, the one performance that was needed to really make the film work is missing. Emile Hirsch as Johnny never emerges as the focal point of the picture. Johnny is the driving force of the awful events that take place and yet, too often, he disappears.

Alpha Dog is a sad, awful, terrifying story of what happens when parents don't pay enough attention to their kids. Had one adult injected himself in this story with some authority, that 15 year old kid would still be alive. Unfortunately, the teenagers in the story of Alpha Dog were allowed to run wild in the streets and that kid is dead because of it.

Nick Cassavetes tells this story with urgency and purpose. Parents pay attention to your kids. If you don't stupid, stupid things happen and innocence dies.