Alpha Dog
One crime. 3 days. 38 witnesses.
Inspired by true events, Alpha Dog is a powerful and gripping film that takes you deep into the sordid world of drugs, greed, power and privilege where living without consequences finally takes its toll. When a group of suburban teens imitating the "thug life" end up committing an impulsive crime, circumstances spiral out of control toward a shocking conclusion.
Member Reviews
Well done, depressing movie - Clarice_Starling
You have to be in the right mood for this one. It's based on a true story where a young 15 year old boy is kidnapped when he unfortunately gets involved by association with his older druggie brother and a group of ne'er do wells in Los Angeles.
It's an important story because the results could happen a lot more than most parents would like to admit when they are busy neglecting their older kids and have lots of money at their disposal. One of the household chores of one of the kids played by Justin Timberlake is to take care of his dad's marijuana plants growing in the backyard.
Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone play parents in the movie, both were very good.
It's a very sad movie but one every parent should have to watch.Unsupervised Rich Kids - cathyottawa
That want to be gangsters. Sounds terrible right?
But this is one haunting, tragic true story. It's hard to watch, knowing the inevitable outcome; it's frustrating to watch all of the people that could have prevented this unfortunate event do the wrong thing, not the least of which being the kidnapped kid himself.
A young, naive, sweet kid, he never realizes the danger he is in, and thinks he's just made some new friends (which he has in a weird way). Anton Yelchin will break your heart in this film.
I thought they did a great job of painting the gradual escalation, and showing us how the dominoes started to fall. The linear story line is broken up with psudo documentary interviews, a technique I thought worked well.
Finally, I thought the performances were good all around. The kids all felt authentic, as did the dialogue and the situations they were in. Justin Timberlake is bound to be held to a higher standard, but I thought he rose to the challenge nicely. He has some great scenes, particularly towards the end.
It's hard to watch this roll to it's certain end, and this film doesn't really make a statement about this crime, so much as just present the story, which begs the question, why tell it at all? There's a bit of an "absentee parent" theme, but it's never really hit home.
But I was moved by this film in ways I didn't expect. It made me remember the darker aspects of what it was to be a teenager, and how the most ridiculous things could make perfect sense at that age.As Mixed Up As the People it Portrays - Mood_Swing
Portraying well the conflicts teenagers put themselves in even when they don't know they're doing it. The main characters in this film are the perpetual "24 hour Party People", where goofing off, getting drunk and stoned, and seeing who can diss whom the best are the favourite parts of their days. A selfish bunch, they choose to watch their own backs and kiss the hand that feeds them (Emile Hirsch as Johnny Truelove) rather than get sincerely in touch with their sympathy and moral duty to the fifteen year old boy they scooped off the street as a "marker" for a debt that is owed to their Alpha Dog. The performance by Anton Yelchin as Zak was perfection. He's too young, so naive, and having too much fun to realize the danger he is in. Happy to be merely accepted and included, and trusting his junky brother will bail him out, he believes he is in the hands of someone who will take care of him right to the bitter end of the movie. It took me a little while to understand the significance of the title "Alpha Dog", but in hindsight it becomes clear when one looks not so much at the actions of Johnny Truelove but the peripheral actions of those who have to react to his actions, like his crew and Zak's brother. Unfortunately, in comparison, wild pack animals have more morals and dignity than the human kind. Also realized in hindsight is how specific actions and words likely hung the guilty in court, such as Frankie (Justin Timberlake) stating in public that "Johnny asked me to kill the kid" when apparently it had been asked in a hypothetical way. I found this movie sad but riveting. An excellent portrayal of how easily the worst can happen when immature decadence is forced to make a moral choice.
Member Reviews
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Well done, depressing movie - Clarice_Starling
You have to be in the right mood for this one. It's based on a true story where a young 15 year old boy is kidnapped when he unfortunately gets involved by association with his older druggie brother and a group of ne'er do wells in Los Angeles.
It's an ...Unsupervised Rich Kids - cathyottawa
That want to be gangsters. Sounds terrible right?
But this is one haunting, tragic true story. It's hard to watch, knowing the inevitable outcome; it's frustrating to watch all of the people that could have prevented this unfortunate event do the ...As Mixed Up As the People it Portrays - Mood_Swing
Portraying well the conflicts teenagers put themselves in even when they don't know they're doing it. The main characters in this film are the perpetual "24 hour Party People", where goofing off, getting drunk and stoned, and seeing who can diss whom the ...