Once again, this takes away from any realism the film tries to grasp. The acting is over the top, in a bad way - I don't understand the direction Cassavetes was trying to go with the acting. The film rather uses its 40 minute epilogue to showcase all the characters getting stoned and pooping in each others living rooms.īad boys Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) and Frankie (Justin Timberlake) discussing plans in Alpha Dog.
The movie starts off way too slow, which should have instead been spent to build a solid amount of character development. It takes away from the narrative story, which is what the audience is emotionally invested for the majority of the film. I admire director Nick Cassavetes for trying to keep a realistic feeling with the interviews and facts, but this element is used at very random times in the movie which causes the film to have almost no specific structure at all. The movie acts almost like a bastard son of a documentary, showing interviews with specific characters and giving specific information while trying to wrap itself around a narrative structured story. I feel like somewhere in it there was a great film. I have very mixed feelings about Alpha Dog. There are plenty of other stars packed in the film including Sharon Stone, Bruce Willis, and new comer Justin Timberlake. The plot centers around the awkward kidnapping of Zack Mazursky ( Anton Yelchin) from his family in order to force his brother Jake Mazursky ( Ben Foster) to pay back money that he owes drug lord Johnny Truelove ( Emile Hirsch). Josh's Review: Alpha Dog Not the Leader of the Packīased on true events that led to the capture of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever on the FBI's most wanted list, Alpha Dog depicts the brutal lifestyle of some "gangster white boys" in California.