Cheap Alpha Dog (Widescreen Edition) (DVD) (Nick Cassavetes) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Alpha Dog (Widescreen Edition)

Reminds Me of "Bully," But Has Moments of Brilliance.
Following up his directorial debut "The Notebook," Nick Cassavetes directs "Alpha Dog" a disturbing crime drama, which is more than slightly reminiscent of Larry Clark's "Bully." The movie is, essentially, an independent drama but received a wide release since Justin Timberlake is in it and his album "FutureSex/LoveSounds" was at the top of the charts when the film finally got distribution. It didn't do well in the theatre, hasn't clicked that much with audiences, but it is a pretty good film. Emile Hirsch ("The Girl Next Door") plays Johnny Truelove, a big-time drug dealer in the Los Angeles area who spends his days dealing, smoking weed, and partying with his friends. When speedfreak Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster, 'Hostage') neglects to pay back his debt to Johnny and then beats the hell out of him, Johnny responds by kidnapping Jake's kid brother Zack (Anton Yelchin, 'Hearts in Atlantis'). This is not your average kidnapping. At first, they hold him by force, tying him up and such. Soon, restraints aren't necessary and Zack becomes more of a friend than a hostage. While it's Johnny who is established as the main character, it's Frankie (Timberlake) that takes over that role after the kidnapping. Zack begins staying with Frankie, as his brother Jake desperately searches for him, and suddenly begins having the time of his life. Smoking weed, drinking, having sex with girls...Nothing if off-limits, until Johnny discovers that he could be facing life in prison for kidnapping. It's this turning point that really throws the film off. <
>Cassavetes chose to shoot this scene in a weird, heightened sense of visual reality. Like we're seeing it through the eyes of someone tripping on 'shrooms. This throws off the whole mood of a scene that could have been both haunting and disturbing. My second biggest complaint about the film is the acting; a majority of it is good, but a lot of it is flawed. First off, Yelchin is believable as the victim but he's kind a very annoying, high-pitched voice. Hirsch is not believable at all as this character because he looks like the kind of kid that got beat up in middle school, in the end this works though...Cause that's pretty much who the character is. Timberlake, however, surprised me. I wasn't expecting much from him for one reason...I've heard him sing. How could a guy that reaches new heights of falsetto in some of his songs (i.e., "My Love") possibly be believable as a gangster? Well, he pulled it off. Timberlake is more than decent as an actor and gives one of the best performances in the movie. The real star here is Ben Foster. While some could say his performance gives new meaning to the term "over-acting," it's still absolutely brilliant and he keeps your eyes glued to the screen whenever he appears. The plot of the movie is tragic, but a newspaper article about it would probably tug at your heartstrings more than the film does. No one can say Cassavetes can't make a good film though, but, after all, he was born into the industry. His mother is actress Gena Rowlands and his father is John Cassavetes, one of the most acclaimed writer/directors of all time. Cassavetes does make some solid points in his scripts about parenting and the stupidity of this crime and his direction is good (except in that scene I mentioned above), but he just missed quite a few things that could have made this film rise from "good movie" to "masterpiece." I think a lot of people who aren't expecting much from this film will be pleasantly surprised though. If you are looking for a film based on a true story that really packs an emotional wallop, I'd say "Bully" is more your speed though. Also, look for some interesting acting bits by Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, and Harry Dean Stanton, who steals every scene he's in. <
> <
>GRADE: B+

---

Reminded me of BULLY
ALPHA DOG is a strong film that reminded me of a film called BULLY that was similar, but not given much publicity. ALPHA DOG seemed to me to be a more commercial film that got more publicity and had big stars like Bruce Willis & Sharon Stone giving it clout. <
> <
>That isn't a bad thing. ALPHA DOG is a frightening film based on a true story and its greatest gift is its closeness to reality and how kids go through life thinking with blinders on. They don't see the big picture. They don't realize the consequences of their actions from minute to minute. Everything we do has an effect and repercussions. Teenagers have an aura of invincibility. In the case of ALPHA DOG, we get to see those aura's exposed. <
> <
>The only thing that I was disappointed with was the absence of Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) from the end of the film. He was probably the most interesting character in the film. He walks through the movie with an unabashed intensity that explodes at will. After he walks into a party looking for his missing brother and ends up introducing a slew of party goers to his black belt, he is pretty much gone from the film. <
> <
>Although I do realize that the movie was based on a true story, so inserting him in the end would have taken away from the truth. <
> <
>Fortunately though, this movie is given its life by Nick Cassavetes' screenplay and direction, a solid young cast (including a solid performance by Justin Timberlake) and a solid veteran cast. <
> <
>Alpha Dog is a really good film and a lesson in life and its undeniable consequences. Not to mention, should be a wakeup call to all parents who don't know where there kids are at night and the things they could be getting into.

---

I was surprised with this one
I read mixed reviews on this one and decided to give it a shot. Long story short, I bought it after seeing it. <
> <
>I knew the story about what had happened in 1999 ahead of time and decided to see it put on the big screen. I loved this movie! I really felt for the kid at the end of the movie. The director really made you like him and you find yourself hoping that they let the kid go but knowing the true story it makes you queasy knowing what lies ahead for the poor kid. If you had no idea about the true story you would think Timberlake would of let the kid go at the end and then the good ole happy ending comes true.............nope! <
> <
>Speakings of Justin Timberlake, I can't stand his music (makes me puke) but his acting skills are incredible! I saw him in Edison Force with Morgan Freeman and I was impressed with him then. With all these 1 dimensional actors like Tom Cruise, Owen Wilson, Keanu Reeves, and Nic Cage , I'd actually rather watch J.T. to be honest with ya. <
> <
>Awesome movie, I bought it, and will watch it again and again.