I’ve said a few times before that my favorite movies are those that are based on true stories. It doesn’t matter what genre the actual storyline falls under; as long as the film depicts true events, I’m hooked. So when I learned that 2006’s Alpha Dog, written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, fit this description, I immediately snapped it up. Surprisingly, I wasn’t disappointed at all.
I didn’t know anything about the real case depicted in the movie, but I looked it up when I was about halfway through. It’s about the 2000 murder of 15-year-old Southern California native Nick Markowitz, which was ordered by drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood and carried out by one of Hollywood’s flunkies. If you haven’t heard this story, then I guarantee you will want to read up on it after seeing Alpha Dog.
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Note: The names of the characters in the film have been changed and do not match up with the real-life incident. At the beginning of the movie we’re introduced to a young man named Johnny Truelove (played by Emile Hirsch) who, in partnership with his father Sonny (Bruce Willis) is apparently some big marijuana dealer in the West Hills district of L.A. We see Johnny and his gangsta wannabe crew hanging out in his garage, smoking weed, drinking, and bagging on each other.
Later on, Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) drops by to tell Johnny that a deal went wrong, so he’s going to be a little late on the money he owes. Johnny doesn’t like this news at all, and to protect his rep, he’s got to make Jake look bad. So he starts whaling on the guy, but it turns out that Jake is a black belt in some kind of martial arts discipline, so he starts kicking Johnny’s ass.
But before Jake can do any real damage, the rest of Johnny’s crew comes in to separate the two. That’s when Johnny pulls a gun on Jake and threatens him. Jake, who is clearly a psycho, gets in Johnny’s face even more and says that Johnny better pull the trigger now, or it’s on. Johnny doesn’t, so Jake walks away. Everyone knows that’s not going to be the end of it.
A few days later, Jake and two friends go back to Johnny’s house and break in. Johnny is there, but he’s not the badass he pretends to be, so even though he has a gun, he hides in the bathroom. Jake and his friends do a lot of damage to the house and steal Johnny’s TV. Jake even takes a dump in the living room before they finally leave.
Johnny is determined to get even (with the help of his friends, of course). As a couple of them are driving along, they see Jake’s half-brother Zack (Anton Yelchin) walking along the side of the road. Johnny orders his guys to grab Zack and pull him into the van. After they do this, Johnny decides to hold Zack until Jake pays off his debt.
Frankie (Justin Timberlake) is in charge of watching Zack until the situation gets resolved. The two hang out at Frankie’s father’s house, play video games together, smoke weed, and generally have a good time. Zack doesn’t feel like he’s in danger, and actually seems to enjoy his little “adventure.”
But things soon spiral out of control, and the rest of the film shows what happens after Johnny learns that kidnapping is a serious offense that could get him a life sentence. Johnny’s actions and decisions culminate in a heart-wrenching and unforgettable scene between Frankie, Zack, and one of Johnny’s other lackeys.
My Reaction: I had no idea that Justin Timberlake was even in this movie, so when I first saw him on the screen, I kind of groaned and thought that this would end up being a super cheesy flick. But I have to admit that Timberlake has some real talent, and was one of the highlights of Alpha Dog!
Indeed, the best part of the movie was watching Frankie and Zack bond throughout the whole “kidnapping”. I put that word in quotes because of the way Zack was more or less free to do whatever he wanted while he was under Frankie’s watch. He wasn’t shackled. He wasn’t cut off from communicating with others. He wasn’t monitored 24/7.
In fact, Zack had numerous opportunities to escape and/or call for help, but he never did. It was evident that enjoyed being around Frankie and away from his mom, thought that his brother would come through for him, and never believed that he was in serious danger.
I thought both Timberlake and Yelchin were great in that scene by the grave. My heart really went out to Zack when he first realized that he was in serious trouble and started crying for his mom. He looked like such a scared kid then, which is really all he was. And Frankie did his best to comfort Zack even though he knew exactly what was going to happen. Yeah, he should have helped get the kid out of there and was just as guilty of Zack’s murder as the guy who pulled the trigger, so I don’t sympathize with him at all, but still….
Overall, I thought Alpha Dog was a gripping tale that made me tear up at the senselessness of the real-life Nick’s death. I give the film 7.5 stars out of 10 and recommend that you see it sometime soon.
Even celebrities who earn millions with each paycheck know that it’s wise to invest their money in something that will yield high returns instead of settling for 5% interest at their local banks. Real estate has always been a popular investment with the stars (think Donald Trump), so I guess it should be no surprise to learn that many of our favorite celebs are involved in multi-million dollar projects.