IBMovies

Release date: 2006-01-27

Rating: 6.651

Votes: 1426

Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Johnny Truelove likes to see himself as tough. He's the son of an underworld figure and a drug dealer. Johnny also likes to get tough when things don't go his way. When Jake Mazursky fails to pay up for Johnny, things get worse for the Mazursky family, as Johnny and his 'gang' kidnap Jake's 15 year old brother and holds him hostage. Problem now is what to do with 'stolen boy?'

Reviews

J4stringthang

OK Timberlake fans and haters alike, Calm Down! Largely regarded as "you know, that movie with Timberlake in it." Alpha Dog was enjoyable. And Timberlake did a great job. He is definitely all grown up now. A strong supporting cast of Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis sure didn't hurt. I loved how the cast worked so good together. They were very believable. The movie did a great job of showing us just how crazy and out of control a simple misunderstanding can get. Hopeful Hollywood does force Ben Foster down our throat! Small doses please! NOTE: Alpha Dog has a lot of language in it.

DoryDarko

Going into this film, I had no idea what it was about, only that it was based on a true story. And the more I think about this fact, the truth behind it all, the more it saddens me. The story that unfolded before my eyes last night is not one I'm likely to forget anytime soon. The characters, as I understand, are eerily like the real life people depicted, and all of the actors have done a great job terrifying me, surprising me, and making me feel sadder than any other film I can remember in recent history. Which is by no means meant to discourage you from watching this film, as I believe it is an absolute must-see for anyone who cares about the society we live in. Jake Mazursky, an explosively charged skinhead, owes a large sum of drug money to a young thug called Johnny Truelove. After they get into a fight, Jake retaliates by trashing Johnny's house. Johnny then takes revenge by kidnapping Jake's 15-year-old brother Zack. Surprisingly though, Zack is OK with this, as he trusts his brother to come up with the ransom. In the meantime, Zack forms an unlikely friendship with one of Johnny's cronies, Frankie. But then, as fear starts to spread of having to do hard time, Johnny and his allies make a decision that spins the situation horribly out of control... The character of Jake is played by Ben Foster, and I think he did an amazing job. Some people have suggested that he overacted his part, but I disagree. I think he was very convincing as a strung-out, aggressive, creep of a skinhead. Johnny Truelove, the young gangster, is played by Emile Hirsch, and his role is light years removed from anything he's done so far, and he's as equally impressive and convincing as Ben Foster - just as menacing and intimidating. Actually, he appears almost as though it's not a part he's playing, he's really some thug they plucked off the streets and put in front of a camera. Very impressive. This character in real life is known as Jesse James Hollywood, and he is the youngest person ever to be on the FBI's 'most wanted' list. Zack is played by Anton Yelchin, and he's is everything his character requires him to be; young, naive, even a little endearing, and most of all desperate for a little excitement in his life. The role of Frankie is performed by Justin Timberlake, and I must admit, he was better than I would have initially given him credit for. Actually, there wasn't a single actor or actress who was miscast in my opinion. All roles, big and small, were equally well played. I must not forget to mention the parents: Johnny's father is played by Bruce Willis, and even though his part is small, is it crucial. Sharon Stone plays Zack's mother, in a role that is gut wrenchingly emotional and very well played. Although there is one scene at the end where she wears a fat suit, and it's so obvious that it's distracting, and this is a discredit to an otherwise excellent and very important scene (but that's not her fault, of course). What makes Alpha Dog so important, I think, is that's it's a testament of the times we live in. A time where, apparently nobody seems to be shocked anymore about the fact that young people in their teens and twenties lead a lifestyle of drugs and guns and no respect whatsoever for other people's lives and wellbeing. The ease with which some ideas and actions are executed, exemplifies and also amplifies the anarchy and devil-may-care attitude that lives within the hearts and minds of these people. Who cares if you beat a person to within an inch of his life. Who cares if you hurt, damage or even kill another human being, just so long as you can save your own neck. It's dog eat dog in the hierarchical food chain that is life, and this film is a disturbing reminder of that. I thought we'd moved on since the Dark Ages, but apparently I'm mistaken. Aside from the heavy, moral message of this film (which, for once didn't tick me off, but really engaged me), I must also praise it on a technical level. It really is very well made, and it draws you in from the very first second with the beautifully edited opening scene. Director Nick Cassavetes ('John Q') has constructed the story into a balanced, properly paced whole, seemingly letting his actors run free and do what they do best, creating a spontaneous, natural feel and environment. The music is excellent and well dosed. Alpha Dog is a film that you must see at least once if you care about this world and the people in it. It is a portrait of frighteningly laconic individuals and the shockingly low bar to unnecessary violence, and it shows just how easy it is for young people to get involved with all the wrong influences, simply because they have not yet lived enough to know any better, or lack the proper role models to show them alternative ways. I cannot recommend this film enough. It's heavy - but very, very much worth it. _(October 2012)_

John Chard

You ever have that dream: the one where you did something... You don't know why, but you can never go back? Alpha Dog is a filmic interpretation of the real life Jesse James Hollywood/Nicholas Markowitz case of 2000. We are in the company of young dope dealers, a group of wannabe gangsters who ultimately are way out of their depth, whose decisions are so moronically misguided they form the basis for what is the tragedy of this story. Directed by Nick Cassavetes, the pic has serious intentions but never quite gets to reach the greatest heights for dramatic verve purpose. Yet for all that, after being in the company of genuine lost boys and girls, watching them as 24 hour party people bluster for majority of the piece, it means that once the tragedy strikes the film has done its job. It becomes something to last in the memory, where Cassavetes' flashy techniques (split-screens - freeze frames etc) don't detract from the harsh reality of it all. There's a bunch of committed exuberant performances on show, with a roll call of then up and coming young actors to note. 7/10

Movie Recommendation

The Horror Show
1989-04-28
Vowing revenge on the detective who apprehended him, serial killer "Meat Cleaver" Max Jenke returns from beyond the grave to launch a whole new reign of terror.
More...
Five Minutes of Heaven
2009-01-19
The story of former Ulster Volunteer Force member Alistair Little. Twenty-five years after Little killed Joe Griffin's brother, the media arrange an auspicious meeting between the two.
More...
Silver Hawk
2004-01-15
Lulu Wong, a rock star and philanthropist, fights injustice as her superhero alter-ego Silver Hawk. When the criminal baddie Wolfe sets a plan in motion to dominate the world through cell phone signals, Silver Hawk joins forces with police detective Richman to save the world.
More...
Absurdistan
2008-01-20
An allegorical comedy centered on two childhood sweethearts who seem destined for one another until the women of their isolated village, angered by male indifference toward the water shortage, go on a sex strike that threatens the young couple's first night of love.
More...
Love n' Dancing
2009-04-02
When a bored-with-life English teacher meets a West Coast Swing champion dancer, they have an instant connection. Both feel that the other can fulfill what was missing in their lives. Jake and Jessica must try to elude all obstacles, romantic or otherwise, to stay focused on the goal - winning the World Title and winning each other. Will they give in to the pressure or come out like champs?
More...
The Last Heist
2022-11-04
After a job goes sideways, four thieves bounded by honour meet back at the place it all began, the local boozer. Drink, drugs, jokes, reminiscing about old times and even politics, you would think this was a standard night in any South London drinking establishment however beneath the banter lies a dark secret that will test the loyalty of these four friends to the limit to see if there really is honour amongst thieves.
More...
One Percent More Humid
2017-04-21
A pair of childhood friends reunite during their summer break from college and deal with a traumatizing experience from their past.
More...
Zero Patience
1993-09-10
The ghost of "patient zero", who allegedly first brought AIDS to North America - materialises and tries to contact old friends. Meanwhile, the Victorian explorer Sir Richard Burton, who drank from the Fountain of Youth and now works as Chief Taxidermist at the Toronto Natural history Museum, is trying to organise an exhibition about the disease for the museum's "Hall of Contagion".
More...
Official Selection
2008-08-21
A journey through Emily Dickinson's tortured life of psycho sexual frenzy or a satire of short films
More...
Ted Bundy
2002-08-02
Seattle, 1974. Ted Bundy gives into his violent passions and embarks on a cross country killing spree, leaving a trail of raped, tortured, murdered, dismembered, and defiled corpses in his wake…
More...
Boot Camp
2008-02-07
A group of troubled teens are sent to a rehabilitation program housed in a remote camp on the island of Fiji. What their parents believe is a state-of-the-art deluxe institution in a beautiful natural environment turns out to be a prison-like boot camp where they are abused and brainwashed.
More...
The Happiness of the Katakuris
2002-02-23
The Katakuri family has just opened their guest house in the mountains. Unfortunately their first guest commits suicide and in order to avoid trouble they decide to bury him in the backyard. Things get way more complicated when their second guest, a famous sumo wrestler, dies while having sex with his underage girlfriend and the grave behind the house starts to fill up more and more.
More...
7 Virgins
2005-10-14
Tano is 16-years-old and is already sitting in jail. In 48 hours he’s a free man and off to the wedding of his brother. In the two days he recounts his neighborhood in a section of Sevilla.
More...
Requirements to Be a Normal Person
2015-06-04
Maria is 30 years old, she is a peculiar person and has one goal: become a normal person. But first of all she must discover what is exactly this. Which kind of person is she? Is she a normal person? What does exactly means? That question goes deeper into her mind. After she lists every requirements, she proposes to reach them. In that journey she will find her brother's help, Alex, a 25 years old boy who is mentally challenged and achieves every list requirements. She meets Borja as well, a boy obsessed with diets and lose weight. They will make a curious pact: she helps him to live an active and healthy live, and he helps her to meet her goal: become a normal person.
More...
Running Scared
2006-01-06
A low-ranking thug is entrusted by his boss to dispose of a gun that killed corrupt cops, but things spiral out of control when the gun ends up in wrong hands.
More...
Retreat
2011-10-14
Kate and Martin escape from personal tragedy to an Island Retreat. Cut off from the outside world, their attempts to recover are shattered when a man is washed ashore, with news of airborne killer disease that is sweeping through Europe.
More...
Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force
2025-01-29
Taishi Wen Zhong led the army of Shang Dynasty including Deng Chanyu and four generals of the Mo Family to Xiqi. With the help of Kunlun immortals such as Jiang Ziya, Ji Fa led the army and civilians of Xiqi to defend their homeland.
More...
Animal Crackers
2017-06-23
A family must use a magical box of Animal Crackers to save a rundown circus from being taken over by their evil uncle Horatio P. Huntington.
More...
Southland Tales
2007-11-14
Set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Boxer Santaros is an action star who's stricken with amnesia. His life intertwines with Krysta Now, an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and Ronald Taverner, a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.
More...
Dog Eat Dog
2016-11-04
Carved from a lifetime of experience that runs the gamut from incarceration to liberation, Dog Eat Dog is the story of three men who are all out of prison and now have the task of adapting themselves to civilian life.
More...