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 ...
afy9mab 07.01.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alpha Dog (DVD)
Advantages: based on real events, eotvie story, brilliant acting and cast Disadvantages: ghetto speak
...life of Jesse James Hollywood, Alpha Dog revolves around a small time drug dealer in San Gabriel Valley, California, during the late 1990s, who becomes the youngest man ever to appear on the "FBI's Most Wanted" list. At 20, Johnny Truelove aka Hollywood (Emile Hirsch) is a young man whose home is a popular gathering place for his friends to do drugs and have sex. But all good things come to an end when one of Johnny's drug dealers, Jake Mazursky ... ...good but his performance in Alpha Dog is sheer brilliance and totally natural.
I won't spoil the ending but it doesn't leave any loose ends and lets you know what happened to the main characters.
Overall
If you can get over the annoying language (and that probably is how a lot of people speak) there isn't anything wrong with this film, it draws you in, keeps you interested, will make you laugh, shock you and make you sad. I would highly recommend ...
hollywoodmum 16.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alpha Dog (DVD)
Advantages: Great true to life portrayal of events and superb character performances Disadvantages: Only the crime that led to its filming
...OVERALL - Alpha Dog doesnt stray away from the facts of what actually happened, although glammed up a little by getting in very good young actors to play the roles, it tells a harrowing story of a kidnapping and murder. You warm to Nicholas and his familys plight in him going missing but you are also pushed into the middle of Johnnys gang dynamics and follow them as there fateful decisions are made. Definately one for the collection in my opinion ... ...research after watching.
TECHNICAL STUFF - Directed by Nick Cassavetes
Run time 122 minutes
Extras include witness time line and a making of.
Just to conclude, Jesse James Hollywood was convicted 08/07/09 of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz and was given a life sentance.
Hope you enjoyed reading, give this one a watch. Live the dream ...
Capodon 26.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alpha Dog (DVD)
Advantages: Good story Disadvantages: Slow, hard to follow
Alpha Dog is the 2006 true story directed by Nick Cassavetes. It runs for 122 minutes & is rated 15. The director Nick Cassavetes has previously directed my favourite film The Notebook starring his Mother Gena Rowlands, he also wrote the script for the video to Justin Timberlake's 'What Goes Around…/… Comes Around'.
The film has an all-star cast including;
Emile Hirsch (The Girl Next Door)
Justin Timberlake (The Love Guru)
Shawn Hatosy (Numb3rs)
... ...for 'Zodiac' starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Alpha Dog just seems to be lacking what The Zodiac has. It simply doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat. I was extremely disappointed with this film as I had been told it was very good. The film is very hard to follow at times too which makes it even harder to sustain the audiences interest. Another thing to bring this film down in my estimation is the lack of many special features. I'm not one of those ...
Great_reviewer07 01.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alpha Dog (DVD)
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 ...
Gangsta-ash 11.12.2007 (03.01.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alpha Dog (DVD)
Advantages: Gripping Story, Brilliant Acting, Justin Timbrerlake is in it. Disadvantages: Possible too much foul language
...and emotion, with the odd humorous crack along the way. I was shocked at how the filmed progressed and the events that happened, as the film leads you on to thinking something different.
SPECIAL EFFECTS
These include:
"A cautionary Tale" - The Making of Alpha Dog
"Witness Timeline" featurette ...
lozzy_lou178 11.09.2007 (09.09.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Alpha Dog (DVD)
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 ...
smittenkitten007 16.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Alpha Dog (DVD)
Alpha Dog is an urban drama following the self destruction of Johnny Truelove (Emile ... more
Hirsch) and his gang of friends. Living the thug wannabe's American dream of money beautiful girls and partying in Los Angeles' San Gabriel Valley - their existence i...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Production Year: 1998 - Drama - Director: Carl Franklyn, Carl Franklin - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Renee Zellweger, Tom Everett Scott, Nicky Katt, Lauren Graham
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2007 - Drama - Director: Mike Binder - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland, Mike Binder
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