Directed by:
Nick CassavetesScreenplay:
Nick CassavetesCinematography:
Robert FraisseComposer:
Aaron ZigmanCast:
Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Foster, Chris Marquette, Dominique Swain, Janet Jones, Lukas Haas, Bruce Willis, Regina Rice (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Gangsta life on a white tip as good white boys pretend to be bad black boys. Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) is the leader of a pack of small-time hoods in late 90s Claremont, California. These white boys strut around, smoking dope, talking like the protagonists in the heavy rap songs they listen endlessly to and calling everyone in sight 'bitch'. They're not particularly impoverished, they live in pretty nice areas and don't have much need to resort to crime but they do anyway and when finally called upon to put up or shut up they go a step too far. Jake Mazursky, (Ben Foster) a fellow dealer has failed to repay a loan and furthermore failed to respect The Truelove. To make sure Jake knows he means business, Johnny and his pals Elvis (Shawn Hatosy), Bobby 911 (Alex Solowitz) and Frankie (Justin Timberlake) kidnap Jake's younger brother Zach (Anton Yelchin). Wantonness ensues as the tenure of this kidnapping turns into one long party in which, for example, Zach loses his virginity in a threesome. An ensemble cast sees Bruce Willis do a turn as Truelove's dad and elsewhere Sharon Stone and Harry Dean Stanton also turn in bit parts. (Icon Film Distribution)
(more)Videos (2)
Reviews (4)
This reconstruction of an adolescent tragedy is similar to Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, but filmed in a traditional manner and relying on emotion and sentiment (that’s Nick Cassavetes for you). The most important thing is the actors – Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster are excellent, while Justin Timberlake and the kidnapped Anton Yelchin don’t do the film any harm. What does harm the film, however, is the final conversations with “real” parents, as they degrade its authenticity and believability (especially the overweight and overacting Sharon Stone is terrible!).
()
Films based on real events have one major disadvantage. People generally look at them a bit differently. If the story itself is emotional, filmmakers usually take advantage of this fact and try to emotionally impress the viewer. This is how the film "Síla srdce" affected me. On the other hand, it may happen that filmmakers are so sure of what they are shooting that they add very little to it because they think the film will speak for itself. Not much extra is added to the film, even though not much actually happened. This is exactly the problem with the film "Alpha Dog". More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/alpha-dog-2006-55.html
()
Quite an interesting film addition. Although Cassavetes indulges in a brutally large number of “fucks” and blatantly tries to serve us the rawest story of youth, some aspects are beautifully captured. For example, the verbal shootouts and the unbelievably raw personal conflicts and fights in general. Surprisingly, the actors are also fantastic. Justin Timberlake and especially Ben Foster, whose character is played brilliantly. Don't expect a plot-driven ride, but the rawness and attractive pace will definitely not make you press the stop button.
()
Adequately uncompromising and rough, and at times, unfortunately, a bit exaggerated. All the flaws in pacing and the unnecessary flood of "fucks" are compensated for by an excellent ensemble cast led by the demigod Emile Hirsch and the madman Ben Foster. However, even here I cannot restrain some criticism. Famous names are not always beneficial: Alpha Dog is hurt the most by the slightly clumsy Justin Timberlake and especially the unconvincing Sharon Stone, whose hysteria at the end made me feel painfully embarrassed for her. My good fortune lies in the fact that I don’t mind knowing how it will end right from the beginning and that I can enjoy the atmosphere of hot cats and ruthless tough guys. At least when it comes to these elements, this piece is packed to bursting with them.
()
Ads