Alpha Dog [2007] | ![Alpha Dog [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510M6a6M3eL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Nick Cassavetes
Actors: Sharon Stone, Ben Foster, Bruce Willis, Harry Dean Stanton, Shawn Hatosy
Studio: Icon Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £19.99
Buy New: £1.70
You Save: £18.29 (91%)
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Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 3952
Format: Anamorphic, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5051429101170
ASIN: B000RWDYDG
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: August 20, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: brand new disc -- excellent condition
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
Gripping saga with excellence performances. July 12, 2008
G. McFarlane (Aberdeen, Scotland)
For those who don't know much about Alpha Dog, it is a Los Angeles set crime drama based on a true story. The plot is pretty simple, Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) owes drug money to Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) and his crew, so they kidnap Jakes brother Zach (Anton Yelchin) until he pays up. But as it gets deeper Johnny realises the trouble he's in and will take drastic measures to cover up his mistakes...
With Alpha Dog, director Nick Cassavetes is doing a very interesting story, based on Jesse James Hollywood, here called Johnny Truelove (the youngest man ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list). The question is: would it carry over well into a Hollywood movie? The answer is, thanks to the performances and easy story telling, yes.
Most of the actors put in very solid performances which makes you care about the story much more. Emile Hirsch is predictably excellent as head man Truelove, getting into more trouble as the film goes on and Hirsch brilliantly shows the panic that the character faces so early in his youth. Also great are Shawn Hatosy as Truelove's right hand man Elvis Schmidt, Anton Yelchin as the kidnapped Zach but the standout is Justin Timberlake as Frankie who is charismatic and very effective in another performance that leads to panic and indecision which he does very well. However, the usually very good Ben Foster as Jake seems to totally overact and shout as much as he can. Bruce Willis doesn't have too much to do as Johnny's dad Sonny but is good to watch as always. There's not many female roles, Sharon Stone is OK as Zach's mum and sexy Mean Girls star Amanda Seyfried is good as one of the crew's party girls.
Another aspect thats effective in Alpha Dog is the storytelling, it doesn't try to pack in too much and just stays easy, relaxing and natural. It could have easily taken the Domino route and just been an overblown event of wild set pieces, but fortunately it has a very much real life feel. It's also got a neat visual effect counting witnesses as it goes along, which also helps you keep track of everyone that seen the horrible mistake these guys made.
Of course the main story in all this is the tragic kidnapping of Zach Mazursky, which actually turns out to be a lot different than you think. Zach actually enjoys hanging out with these guys and is having the time of his life away from his parents, which makes the decision of what to do so much more difficult for the crew. With this story at the centre of attention, there is a lot of pressure on Anton Yelchin, but the future Star Trek and Terminator 4 star delivers very well and you can't help but engage in the confused teenager as the story goes on.
Minor gripes about Alpha Dog are that the film runs a little bit too long for the amount of story it covers and the pointless party scenes take the focus away from the story a bit. Other than that Alpha Dog is a gripping, sometimes heart-felt drama worth checking out for the excellent performances of Hirsch, Timberlake, Hatosy and Yelchin.
True Crime Drama *Contains plot spoilers* June 15, 2008
R. Mullaney (Leeds, UK)
Wannabe gangster and drug dealer Johnny Truelove's (Emile Hirsch) life is an endless party. Surrounded by lackeys, beautiful women and hangers on, Johnny blows huge amounts of cash on drink, fast cars and a big house in the LA hills. When it comes to business though, Johnny is deadly serious. After a falling out with hot-headed nutter Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) over a drugs debt, Johnny and his pals kidnap the man's younger brother Zack (Anton Yelchin) on impulse, intending to hold him to ransom. Zack has lived a sheltered life with overprotective mother Sharon Stone and begins to enjoy being captive as Truelove's good natured pal Frankie takes the boy under his wing, supplying him with drink, drugs and girls. Unfortunately for Zack, the increasingly paranoid Truelove is calling the shots and things are going to get ugly.
Alpha Dog is based on the real life story of LA drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood who may just have a sillier name than his onscreen counterpart. Jesse James ordered the kidnapping and eventual murder of a debtors younger brother (Nicolas Markowitz) and fled to South America, remaining on the FBI's most wanted list for 5 years before he was brought to justice. Hirsch's character in the film isn't all that interesting and spends most of the film away from the action. Timberlake has a natural onscreen presence as does Yelchin who plays the naive and wide eyed kidnapee. Supporting turns from Bruce Willis as Truelove's drug dealing father and Sharon Stone are good too. The story jumps around a lot but there are some very well filmed and well acted moments that make this better than just another LA crime film.
Like this? Try: Bully
An A+ for Alpha Dogs !!!! June 12, 2008
G. Kyriacou (UK)
I really did enjoy this film, especially as I had no idea what it was about. All I had heard about it, was that Justin Timberlake appears in it. Now we all love Justin Timberlake, so I was hoping he did not fail in this film, but Justin delivers a good performance. I must admit I found it sometimes hard to take Justin serious, probably due to the fact that we have watched him so many times on Saturday Night Live. It has a such a fantastic cast. Great directing by Nick Cassavates. Sharon Stone gives a brilliant performance. A very sad true story. I would give it five stars but five stars go to films like The Godfather. Watch this film, you will not be disapponted at all. Powerful, emotional and thought provoking.
Alpha Dog - Beta Suspense March 5, 2008
Donald Thompson (Belfast N Ireland)
I wanted to see this film because of the reviews I had read elsewhere. Not being fully aware of the details I came in with a fresh perspective. The story opens in a documentary style with a straight to camera piece from Bruce Willis. The real story then begins. Tracking the escalating violence and dislike between two rival slacker drug dealers. This is fairly standard fare for the genre. What follows an abduction though is fairly unstandard. Trying to avoid plot spoilers limits what I can say about what follows, but it is well concived, acted and portrayed, with a realism usually missing from its contemporaries. Only the swimming pool scene fails to convince. Based on the true story of Jesse James Hollywood what the movie shows is how a petty dispute over a trivial amount of money can descend into a truely shocking story of peer pressure, immorality and eventually tragedy.
Nick Cassavettes directs with an eye to the details of the lifestyle and morals of his characters and an acceptance that his audience know the story. This is the one letdown in the movie. He is never absolutely convinced as to whether he is directing a drama or a documentary. Superb all round performences from a mostly young cast, including an eye catching, and surprisingly good, Justin Timberlake. Acting kudos also to Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Anton Yelch as the unwitting but somehow compliant young innocent.
All in all a good watch only marred by some indecisive directing.
Very good movie February 26, 2008
A. Agbemuko (uk)
A really good film....unlike most ppl i did not know the ending of the movie so i didnt know what to expect but i must say its deliverence was very powerful. The movie is well edited and i think i helps capture the essense of such a deep storyline. Some acting points could have been better but Ben Foster, Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis were amazing... its worth watching...
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