Alpha Dog (2006)

54% of critics liked it
(142 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(400,147 ratings)

A drug dealer moves on to bigger crimes in an effort to settle a score with disastrous results in this drama inspired by actual events. Though barely out of his teens, Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) has already built a lucrative career for himself selling drugs -- he has his own home, a luxury car,… More A drug dealer moves on to bigger crimes in an effort to settle a score with disastrous results in this drama inspired by actual events. Though barely out of his teens, Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) has already built a lucrative career for himself selling drugs -- he has his own home, a luxury car, and posse of friends who do double duty as his crew, including Elvis (Shawn Hatosy), Frankie (Justin Timberlake), and Tiko (Fernando Vargas). While life at Johnny's house is usually a constant party interrupted by occasional dope deals, Johnny has lost all of his patience with Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), a regular customer who has run up a large tab that he can't pay. Determined to clear Jake's account, Johnny and his boys plan to kidnap Jake and hold him for ransom, but when they happen upon his 15-year-old stepbrother, Zack (Anton Yelchin), they impulsively decide to take the youngster instead. Jake's father, Butch (David Thornton), and his stepmother, Olivia (Sharon Stone), are already furious with their junkie son when they learn about Zack's disappearance, and aren't sure what they should do. Meanwhile at Johnny's place, Frankie takes a liking to young Zack, who already admires his brother's high-flying lifestyle, and introduces the kid to the joys of grown-up partying, which he takes to with dangerous zeal. Also featuring Bruce Willis as Johnny's father, Alpha Dog was based on the real-life story of Jesse James Hollywood, who at the age of 21 became one of the youngest people to ever appear on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By: Nick Cassavetes
Written By: Nick Cassavetes
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Jan 12, 2007 Wide
On DVD: May 1, 2007
Studio: Universal Studios

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Justin Timberlake has what it takes to be a genuine movie star.
Tom Charity, CNN.com
Alpha Dog is no travesty, but I would trade 95 percent accuracy for, say, 25 percent insight.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Cassavetes starts to lose the plot at the precise moment he starts keeping exact track of it.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
As uneven as the film is, those with strong stomachs will find it worth sticking with.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
[Writer/director Cassavetes] never masters the tone and lands as many unintentional laughs as intentional ones. But he still manages, on occasion, to chill you to the bone.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
Alpha Dog may have some of Larry Clark's territory, and even some of Tarantino's markings. But it's still a mutt. And no matter how much it marks its territory, it never finds its own way home.
Jeff Meyers, Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
This inspired-by-reality tale is essentially an emotional snuff film. It's the kind of misguided effort a middle-aged director indulges in when he wants to reinvent himself as edgy.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Timberlake stars in fact-based drug drama.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Cassavetes' film is pure Hollywood fiction and sensationalism mixed with some sense of reality, but hell I enjoyed it a great deal...
Todd Gilchrist, IGN Movies
A lackluster teenage true-crime tale.
Mark Adams, Sunday Mirror [UK]
Stylishly and thoughtfully directed by Nick Cassavetes, Alpha Dog is occasionally chilling, but always absorbing.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
Its originality lies in the fact that it depicts white middle-class kids on the loose, calling their women bitches and listening endlessly to violent, misogynist and homophobic black rap.
Anthony Quinn, Independent
Nick Cassavetes' film combines an aimless ramble through juvenile depravity in the affluent suburbs of LA and a quite disturbing evocation of the true-life murder of an adolescent boy in 1999.
Johnny Vaughan, Sun Online
It's Beverly Hills 90210 on crystal meth as a gang of posh potheads lose the plot when a kidnapping goes wrong.
, Daily Mirror [UK]
The movie may lose its way in the last 15 minutes but everything leading up to that point is gripping, edge-of-your-seat stuff.
Jonathan Dean, Total Film
Lengthy and often off-hot topic, this is still a gripping saga with stand-out turns from Timberlake, Hirsch and kid-in-the-spotlight Yelchin.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
You know you're in trouble the second you take a look at Bruce Willis's fake liver spots.
Steve Rose, Guardian [UK]
Overall though, it's a messy, superficial affair: it lacks focus, shifts uneasily in tone, and shoehorns in star names (Sharon Stone, Bruce Willis) to little effect.
, Times [UK]
True, Alpha Dog is a film with no manners. But it has great nerve. What's truly impressive is how the splintered story is buried by individual performances.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

The best work of Nick Cassavetes, with terrific acting by Jason Timberlake. Alpha Dog have a little bit of Larry Clark's style and looks like a modern "GoodFellas". Fresh.
Film C

Well a fantastic cast, great acting. Its a good movie, thats interestingand entertaining to watch. Its sad that its actually based on true events and you actually start to feel for justin timberlakes character Frankie, im nt to sure how accurate it is to real events but in the movie… More
Well a fantastic cast, great acting. Its a good movie, thats interestingand entertaining to watch. Its sad that its actually based on true events and you actually start to feel for justin timberlakes character Frankie, im nt to sure how accurate it is to real events but in the movie you start to really feel for Frankie and wonder if he's actually going to go through with it. Its based on true events and is about the kidnapping of a young boy he is the brother of a druggie who owes money to this drug dealer and things just escalate to far and things just go from bad to worse. Great cast great acting, for me its just too slow with not alot happening inbewtween the the beginning and the end so maybe not for everyone but worth the watch.
Veronique K

one thing i do feel bit dreary over alpha dog is its usage of language, the scumbag profanity, and everyone here is a stay-home bum drifting places, getting wasted, and taking advantages of the social excess pimped by the amercian society. it's about the feud between two… More
one thing i do feel bit dreary over alpha dog is its usage of language, the scumbag profanity, and everyone here is a stay-home bum drifting places, getting wasted, and taking advantages of the social excess pimped by the amercian society. it's about the feud between two drug-dealers turning into a kidnapping case. the film is obviously a comedy for showing the absurdity of the whole matter, the kidnapped kid is actually having fun from getting kidnapped due to some adolescent rebellion against his hen-packing overbearing mom, played by sharon stone. the kid is partying, drinking, smoking weeds, and having threesome with the youngest sweetest-looking girl (amanda seyfried) in the party. (quite a phallic dream to lose your virginity that way)...everyhing develops in the course of a blissful teenage dream until the schemer of the kidnap finally makes a stupid move to have the kid killed. suddenly all these wasted young people involved are being sentenced to life or death. even you can tell they're not truly malicious people (and they're actually quite friendly and kind to the kid) but they're just a bunch of stupid people whose minds are too loaded with weeds and alcohol to have a brain to think just a little bit more. they're f**ked for stupidity, a slip of wrong decision. end of story. i must say justin timberlake really stands out here, and he's the one who really gets the move of trendy narcissistic hipster (maybe being hip-pop singer in real life helps), and the only guy you actually feel sympathetic for the punishment. timberlake sorta looks quite stylish with those graffitti tattos and those leisure wears, and he could talk in melodious rhymes. gee, he gets the moves. perhaps the most impressive part belongs to sharon stone for wearing the fat suit in the end of film, quite a shock indeed. the ex-crotch-flashing goddess of basic instinct plays against her usual sexy roles, and she's here a nagging severe mother who eats herself into monstrous obesity for overtly mourning for her son's death. wow. as for the brief part of amanda seyfried as the girl who takes the kid's virginity, she does a successful job to shed off the stupid "mean girl" image and begins to demonstrate a naughty kind of sex appeal..maybe that was the reason seyfried took such a petite gratuitous role. (just to prove she could be wild and luring, so no longer the goody girl next door?) and the threesome sex scene in swimming pool feels like a sauce sprayed on the dish to help you consume this style-over-subtance vacant movie. at least, i wasn't bored by this despite my annoyance with the people in such childish lifestyle. every line is an offensive pun of fellatio or foolish swaggeries which populate among american red-necks. is that these guys have nothing to be proud of except the fact they do own a pair of testicles? not even pairs of "nice-qualitied" testicles with decent sizes. (pun intended.)
Eliza N

True Story
Bethany M

Powerful film! Excellent cast! The scenes are deep and dark and the fact that was true makes it even more heart wrenching! A must see!
Jim H

A drug dealer kidnaps the brother of a high-strung gangster who owes money. Not long ago I had a conversation with a colleague and friend about The Silence of the Lambs. He asked his students to discuss ways in which Jonathan Demme's film upheld and conformed… More
A drug dealer kidnaps the brother of a high-strung gangster who owes money. Not long ago I had a conversation with a colleague and friend about The Silence of the Lambs. He asked his students to discuss ways in which Jonathan Demme's film upheld and conformed to traditional gender conventions. I said, "Conformed? The Silence of the Lambs is one of the most feminist movies ever made. I don't see how it conforms to gender stereotypes." "What about the final scene?" he replied. "It's the man watching the helpless woman. She's subject to The Gaze. It's torn right out of a basic female exploitation film." "But she shoots him." "You can make a movie, and ninety minutes could be men exploiting naked women. But even if they shoot the men at the end, it doesn't change the fact that it's an exploitation film." Even though I still disagree with my friend about The Silence of the Lambs, I describe this conversation because I think it's an applicable concept as I think about Alpha Dog. Here, we get to delight in the drug culture for about ninety minutes. The kidnapped victim thoroughly enjoys being kidnapped, experiencing his first sexual experience with no less than Amanda Seyfried, getting stoned, and playing video games with his captors. Likewise, the kidnappers have expensive cars, wonderful digs, plenty of illegal substances, and a sycophant who is willing to do all the dirty work. I know that this film intends on being a cautionary tale. All the illegal fun adds up to a truly horrible crime, some jail time, and as the opening credit sequence implies, the loss of innocence. But I contend that Alpha Dog amounts to a celebration of these characters, and even though they meet unfortunate ends doesn't make it any less a celebration; it's like a ninety-minute display of naked women, and just because they revolt in the end doesn't make it any less an exploitation film. I think a more ethical display of drug-addled children behaving badly is Larry Clark's Bully. In Clark's film there is very little to find glorious; everything is ugly. Overall, Alpha Dog is a highly problematic film, and it makes me re-think my appreciation of other films in this genre.
erika b

This film is about a drug deal that went bad. The main drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood does not like it when people own him money. To get revenge He kidnaps the other drug dealer's brother until he gets the money he is own. This film is filled with action and really good… More
This film is about a drug deal that went bad. The main drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood does not like it when people own him money. To get revenge He kidnaps the other drug dealer's brother until he gets the money he is own. This film is filled with action and really good plot. The acting was a lit bit off but for the most part it was good. The music section was really good. This film made me feel like I was there. If u like a drama with a lot of action, you should give this film a try.
Candy R

This is very sad because it based on a true story. A young teenager is kidnapped by a drug dealer's friends because his brother owes them money. Great performances. Stars Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake and Bruce Willis.
Manu G

Saw it again, Great movie! The story just made sense all the way, well-developed, great acting and a very good wicked ending. Alpha Dog is based on events that took place in 2000 and characters are given fictional names. The film is set in November 1999. It tells the story of Johnny… More
Saw it again, Great movie! The story just made sense all the way, well-developed, great acting and a very good wicked ending. Alpha Dog is based on events that took place in 2000 and characters are given fictional names. The film is set in November 1999. It tells the story of Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch), a young drug dealer in Claremont, California and his circle of friends, which includes Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake), Tiko "TKO" Martinez (Fernando Vargas) and Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy). The film demonstrates internal gang dynamics and social context that contribute to the events leading to kidnap and murder. Johnny's father, Sonny Truelove (Bruce Willis), supplies his son with marijuana, from which Johnny makes a fortune dealing and selling. Johnny owns his own house where he holds meetings and parties. Another associate of the gang is Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), who owes Johnny a $1200 drug debt. After a failed attempt at asking for the money from his parents, Olivia (Sharon Stone), and Butch Mazursky, he goes over to Johnny's house where Johnny is having a party. A heated argument is held between the two, which results in a violent fight that Frankie and the gang break up. Jake tells Johnny that he'll never pay him the money. In retaliation, Johnny gets Jake fired from his job by ratting on him to his boss that Jake is on drugs. Later that night, Jake and his gang break into Johnny's house, stealing his flat-screen t.v., breaking his backyard window and defecating on Johnny's carpet. The next day, Johnny, Frankie, and Tiko decide to go to Jake personally and collect the money with the threat of violence. On the way, though, they stumble upon his brother Zack Mazursky (Anton Yelchin) and decide to kidnap him in broad daylight, throwing him into the van. Frankie is worried about the situation, while Johnny is thinking about what to do with him. Zack makes little effort to escape. Frankie offers him beer and cigarettes, which he accepts. During a street fiesta, Frankie offers him a chance to escape, which Zack declines, not wanting to cause him trouble with Johnny. The two strike up an unlikely friendship. Zack stays at Frankie's house for the night and even helps him with his chores. Zack meets some of Frankie's friends, including Keith Stratton (Chris Marquette), a young pot head, and even strikes up a relationship with Julie (Amanda Seyfried), the youngest member of the group. They all learn of Zack's kidnapping, yet do nothing as Zack seems cool with everything. Julie even refers to him as 'Stolen Boy', and thinks it's hot. Johnny comes over and contemplates with Frankie on what to do. Frankie grows nervous when Johnny asks Frankie about the possibility of having Zack killed, though he quickly dismisses it. Back at Zack's home, Olivia and Butch do everything they can to find Zack. Olivia grows angry with Jake when she learns he owed money to Johnny. Missing Person posters are put up. Johnny becomes increasingly paranoid about the situation. He calls Jake with the intent of explaining the situation, but learns that Jake already suspects it was him who kidnapped Zack and screams that he'll "rip his throat out and eat his heart". Johnny hangs up and calls his lawyer and explains the situation, which his lawyer replies that Johnny is looking at 25 years to life in prison for his actions. High with anxiety, Johnny seems to have made up his mind. The next night, while Frankie, Zack, and the gang are at a party at a hotel, Johnny approaches Elvis, who is in deep debt with Johnny, and offers to cancel the debt if he agrees to have Zack murdered. Elvis is skeptical at first, but agrees. Johnny gives him a TEC-9 pistol and leaves with his girlfriend. Back at the party, Zack loses his virginity when he has sex with Julie and her girlfriend, Alma. Elvis arrives at the hotel and explains to Frankie that he is taking Zack home, at which point the party ends and everyone leaves except for Frankie, Zack, Elvis, and Keith. Frankie is relieved to have Zack go home until Elvis reveals Johnny's plan to kill Zack. Frankie is enraged at Elvis, and angrily tells him he won't let him do it. Elvis instead takes Keith and they go to a remote location in the hills to dig a grave. When they get back to the hotel, Elvis tells a disturbed Frankie that they are all looking at life in prison if Zack goes home. Frankie sadly agrees and he, Elvis, and Keith trick Zack into thinking he's going home. Back at Johnny's house, his dad, Sonny, and their attorney confront him about the kidnapping. Sonny is furious with his son, and when he learns of Johnny's plan to kill Zack, he commands that he call it off, which Johnny refuses, believing that Elvis and Frankie aren't really going to kill Zack. Meanwhile, Frankie, Elvis, Zack and Keith arrive in the hills. They start walking up a hill. Zack is not aware of what's going to happen and is tricked into believing someone's picking him up. Zack grows little suspicious when a deeply saddened Keith silently tells Frankie he can't go through with it, and, after giving Zack a goodbye hug, goes to wait in the van. Realizing what's happening, a panicked Zack asks Frankie what he's doing, Frankie reassures him and the three continue walking up the hill. Zack sees the grave and begins to break down, sobbing and begging Frankie and Elvis to let him go. Frankie contemplates to Elvis that they shouldn't do it, but Elvis is keen on the job he's been given. Frankie calms Zack down and tells him that he would never hurt him, and ties a weeping Zack up with tape. He is astonished when Elvis knocks Zack into the grave with the shovel and ultimately fires at Zack with the pistol killing him. Frankie and Elvis then silently leave. Zack's body is found 3 days later. The epilogue shows the aftermath of the crime. Zack's mother, Olivia, is interviewed; she talks candidly about her failed suicide attempts and the loss that she has experienced from her son's murder. After being convicted, the gang members serve time: Tiko serving 9 years for the kidnapping; Keith serving at a juvenile facility until the age of 25 for digging Zack's grave and 2nd degree murder; Frankie serving a life sentence for the kidnapping; and Elvis on death row for murdering Zack. Johnny disappears and is finally arrested in Paraguay in 2005 after 5 years of being on the America's Most Wanted list. However, the real Johnny was arrested in Saraquema, Brazil.
Coxxie M

i used to want to see this but now im older and more mature and i dont need to see it just for a hot naked pool scene
Jon L

I started this movie a few minutes in and thought to myself, this is a pretty bad movie, but I'll stay for a few more minutes. The next few minutes were a little better, but I was going to turn the movie off at any moment as it was quite late. I watched a few more minutes and… More
I started this movie a few minutes in and thought to myself, this is a pretty bad movie, but I'll stay for a few more minutes. The next few minutes were a little better, but I was going to turn the movie off at any moment as it was quite late. I watched a few more minutes and after a few more scenes I couldn't pull myself away from the TV. I don't know if it was because it was based on a true story or not, but I really wanted to see what would happen to the kid. It's not the greatest film ever and the dialog didn't flow that great either, but it was entertaining and it kept me watching for one reason or another. Check it out if you don't mind too much foul language. Not a must-see film by any stretch.
Albert K

I wish I could've liked this movie more, the follow up to the ending is dreadfully boring and uninteresting. You have no interest in the characters or the plot
Clintus M

This is the dark version of Beverly Hills 90210. Events quickly spin out of control in this true story of kidnapping and murder in 2000-era Los Angeles. This is a riveting, cautionary tale that has an almost news-like aura. This is not my world, but the characters comer off as… More
This is the dark version of Beverly Hills 90210. Events quickly spin out of control in this true story of kidnapping and murder in 2000-era Los Angeles. This is a riveting, cautionary tale that has an almost news-like aura. This is not my world, but the characters comer off as realistic. None of them seem like caricatures, which would have been the easy, sensationalist way to portray this crime. No, the bare truth is shocking enough, and director Cassavetes elicits superb performances to tell this story. Justin Timberlake is a surprisingly good actor, and of course Emile Hirsch, who I loved in Into The Wild, is fantastic. His range is astounding. Sharon Stone is appropriately pitiful; I didn?t like her makeup, but I think Bruce Willis?s was appropriate, unlike one reviewer. Alpha Dog is a sensational docudrama not easy to forget.
jd c

An amazingly non-stop entertaining thrill ride. Simply great true crime film.
Steven C

"Alpha Dog" works only as a cautionary tale, and on that merit it works really well. While the film has absolutely no entertainment value the actors are all very committed to showing how easy it is to get caught up in life ruining situations. "Alpha Dog" is all… More
"Alpha Dog" works only as a cautionary tale, and on that merit it works really well. While the film has absolutely no entertainment value the actors are all very committed to showing how easy it is to get caught up in life ruining situations. "Alpha Dog" is all about thinking before you act and that message comes across in this extreme circumstance. Special attention should be paid to Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone for their scenery chewing performances.
KJ P

A very effective film with limited believable drama. I definataly satisfies the fans of the genre, however, others may be bored from this otherwise under attempted drama. That said, I am a fan of the genre and I only found this mediocre, but somewhat enjoyable.
Summer W

I liked it better than I thought I would. The cast and performances were great, and the story blew my mind.
Dean !

A very good film based on true events, as a group of young wannabe gangsters take things too far. A great performance from all of the young assembled cast. A lot better than you would expect from such young actors. Well worth checking out.
Curtis L

A lot better than I expected with a cast featuring Justin Timberlake. Ben Foster I think landed on my favorite actors list after this preformance.
Josh L

Don't let Timberlake's singing career fool you. He is fantastic in this movie as is pretty much everyone else. The true story in this movie is fascinating and tragic, and definitely worth watching. A few of the scenes towards the end are kind of pointless, but otherwise… More
Don't let Timberlake's singing career fool you. He is fantastic in this movie as is pretty much everyone else. The true story in this movie is fascinating and tragic, and definitely worth watching. A few of the scenes towards the end are kind of pointless, but otherwise it's a good film.