ALPHA DOG - 8/10 (A-)

An incredibly involving film that is made great by the brilliant performances across the board. Directed by Nick Cassavates as a tale of lost innocence, it sucks you in from the melancholy opening credits - opening with an occassionally comedic first half before giving the audience a harsh dose of reality. The final thirty minutes of this film are incredibly intense, sad and haunting. The climactic scene is an incredibly chilling moment that feels all too realistic. As mentioned before, performances are great in this film from almost every actor involved. Emile Hirsch is convincing and interesting to watch in the leading role, displaying the character's disturbed state of mind and obsession with power. Shawn Hatosy and Dominique Swain give credible supporting performances. Ben Foster is absolutely chilling, terrifying and completely believable as a crazed skinhead. Bruce Willis does very well in an extended cameo. Sharon Stone is great as the victim's mother and handles the material very well. Anton Yelchin is great as Zack and incredibly powerful in his final scenes. But the best performance in the film surprisingly comes from Justin Timberlake, who delivers a stunning, award-worthy performance that is sure to be among the year's best supporting turns. He singlehandedly steals the movie from many of his more experienced co-stars, giving his character a lot of charisma, depth and emotion. As the only member of the group who actually bonds with Zack, his Frankie is a tragic individual, one who gets in over his head too fast and eventually has no way out. He gives his character a lot of heart and you can't help but feel bad for him in the end. Timberlake was perfect in this film and certainly has a strong career in film ahead of him. Alpha Dog isn't perfect and runs a bit too long, but it's still a great, disturbing film which really makes use of its talented director and ensemble. And it's worth seeing for Timberlake's performance alone.

timberlakes good?? what?? award worthy????

Yes, he's fantastic. It's sure to be one of the most surprising performances of the year - because he really shocked me by stealing every scene of the movie he was in. He was far more interesting and fascinating to watch than Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch). He handles the more comedic moments quite well and absolutely nails the dramatic scenes as well. His performance during the climax is brilliant.

Interestingly enough, the movie Alpha Dog reminds me most strongly of is The Butterfly Effect. Like The Butterfly Effect, Alpha Dog was what I suspected would be disposable January filler, only to end up surprising me in the end. This is a powerful, involving, and unsettling film. Perhaps not completely surprising for a film based on true events, most of it comes across as realistic and unforced. Director Nick Cassavetes (who does a rather staggering 180 from The Notebook here) directs the film wonderfully, with vivid camerawork and a gradual buildup of tension. The eclectic cast is solid, with the exception of Emile Hirsch, who comes across as too bland and low-key for his role. Anton Yelchin perfectly displays a normal teenager finally allowed to break free from the constraints of a sheltered life. Justin Timberlake may actually give the best performance in the movie. Shawn Hatosy, Olivia Wilde, Chris Marquette, Dominique Swain and Amanda Seyfried are all solid in smaller roles, while Ben Foster gives one of the most manic performances I've ever seen. Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone don't have much screen time, but Stone is outstanding in a long, heartbreaking mock interview towards the end of the film (anyone who has doubted her acting ability in the past should see the scene). I never expected to admire and respect this movie as much as I did. It's not a masterpiece, but it is a dramatically solid picture that won't be easily forgotten, at least by me. B+

The climactic final scene is one of the most disturbing and haunting movie moments in recent memory.

Several days since I saw this film I have yet to be able to shake it. If it's somewhat unfocused, it at the very least packs a big emotional punch, and it does feel very genuine. Underneath it all the film has a lot to say about how violence in media can cause people who have not been raised with violence to act out how they believe how they're supposed to, not how they should. For me, it hit on a deeper level because I feel like it would not have been that big of a stretch for me to be that poor fucker who just wanted to get a ride home. The ensemble cast is generally solid with Justin Timberlake being the stand out, although Emile Hirsch is miscast and Sharon Stone and Ben Foster overdo it. Still, it's a powerful little $13 million film. It clearly hit me hard enough in that I've since been researching the case and telling certain friends they should really see it. A-

Alpha Dog: A Superb Beta Movie!

Way surprised at the great movie fun on display here. Yow! This is a seriously flowin' showin'...

Great inside perspective on the power hierarchy of twisted adolescenct priorities. Slacker my ass, this is the full on crazy.

7 out of 5.



(...and the first member of my 2007 Top Ten Film List!)

Thanks a lot assholes. Now I have to add this to my list of films to see. Pans this weekend ... I guess Alpha Dog next.

If this had come out in 2006 it would have been one of my top ten movies of the year. On second viewing, I have to say it was extremely well made. I do wish the marketing had been a little bit more secretive though. [spoil]I had a friend who knew nothing about it see it, and they were really blown away. Not knowing Zach is going to die makes a big difference I think.[/spoil]

Hey Dude! Even though spoilers are allowed in this forum -- considering the importance you place on that spoiler -- you might want to consider adding a set of spoiler tags.

Just a suggestion...

Done.

I thought it had some powerful moments and adept direction, but I just wasn't all that involved. Bland characters.

C+

Much better than I thought it was gonna be. I did not see the ending coming at all, as I didn't know how the actual events unfolded. Very heartrenching.

B+

I felt it never really got going until near the end, when it started to pack on the emotional moments, and that brought it up, slightly, for me. The characters were mostly all unlikeable, but JT did a decent job with his and made him (somewhat) likeable. Same with the guy playing the victim. It was solidly directed, though, and I guess the acting was okay, but there really wasn't anything special about the film overall. The dialogue felt like teenagers doing their version of Goodfellas, and didn't sound natural at all.

B+

I went in with very low expectations but was extremely surprised out how much I liked this film. Like Moviedude said, Hirsch was miscast, but everyone else was good to great. The docility of the key scene sent shivers down my spine. Highly recommended.