Alpha Dog DVD

Advantages: Great performances from Ben Foster and Shawn Hatosy.
Disadvantages: A weak performance from Emile Hirsch and style-over-substance filmmaking.

Johnny Truelove is a middle-class kid with too much time on his hands and a burgeoning drug empire. But he makes a really big enemy when a deal with the psychotic Jake goes sour, leaving the dealer out of pocket. Johnny and his friends kidnap Jake's seventeen year-old brother Zack and hold him as collateral against the money Jake owes them. Frankie is assigned to watch Jake, but he likes the kid and shows him a good time. Then the gang realise the ...
...Looking at this film, I had assumed Nick Cassavetes was a young director fresh out of film school, not a man in his fifties with a handful of other movies under his belt. He throws every available trick at the screen and hopes some of them will resolve into a recognisable style. He starts the film in sentimental fashion with a prolonged montage of home movie footage of two kids (presumably Jake and Zack) going through the usual roll-call of childhood ... Read review

Advantages: Really good adaptation of the case it is based upon
Disadvantages: A little too long and kinda drags a bit at the start and at the end

...Cautionary Tale: The Making Of Alpha Dog Witness Timeline Featurette Dolby Digital 5.1 / Dolby Digital DTS 5.1 Languages - English Subtitles - English Hard Of Hearing Introduction: This is a powerful film that focuses on the real life story of a drug dealer who kidnaps a young boy to settle his older brothers debt and makes his way to become the youngest person ever on the FBI's most wanted list. Cast: Sonny Turelove - Bruce Willis ...
...Tiko Martinez - Fernando Vargas Frankie Ballenbacher - Justin Timberlake Elvis Schmidt - Shawn Hatosy Cosmo Gadabeeti - Harry Dean Stanton Jake Mazursky - Ben Foster Zack Mazursky - Anton Yelchin Olivia Mazursky - Sharon Stone Keith Stratten - Chris Marquette Julie Beckley - Amanda Seyfried Story: When drug dealer Jake Mazursky winds up in $50,000 worth of debt with his supplier (Jonny Truelove), and all attempts to borrow the money ... Read review

Advantages: compelling, exciting and emotional
Disadvantages: can be left feeling a little bored at some scenes

This story follows a bunch of guys in their 20's leading the "gangster" life and basically living their lives partying and getting high. The movie does not keep you interested enough at first since it just feels like watching "Big Brother" for a while. But then once they get into the Kidnapping, you realise that it is not your typical kidnapping since the hostage starts to party with his captors. There is a bitter twist to the story and you are left ...
...a feel good movie despite the constant "party" scenes they have. The main attraction of watching this movie was to see if Justin Timberlake can pull off his character, which I can say with complete confidence and slight surprise that he does. In fact he is very talented in his own right and he hits all the right spots in the film. Overall, it is a good film to watch and has some dark moments that will conjure up some emotion. It is an interesting ... Read review