Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I've been curious about this one since it premiered at Sundance what? 2 years ago? Or is it 3 now? Looks to have a lot of young talent, including what everybody keeps saying is Justin Timberlake's breakout performance. I thinke Emile Hersch (THE GIRL NEXT DOOR) has what it takes in the way of charm and I'm quite the fan of Anton Yelchin from his childhood work in HEARTS IN ATLANTIS (a film in which he's very good, Hopkins is very good... but the movie itself disappointed me... I guess I'm a bit biased against it since they stripped all the Dark Tower references out). Yelchin was also great on HUFF. Looking forward to this one. Beware of spoilers from The Southerner and watch for another review of his to pop up very shortly!!!
Alpha Dog started my cinematic New Year off with a bang. It is based on the true story about a young rich kid called Jesse James Hollywood and his involvement in a kidnapping. The names of all parties involved in the true story are changed but the film’s director (Nick Cassavetes) makes a great choice of listing who the witnesses were, by placing “Witness # 5,6,7,etc.” at the bottom of the screen when someone who could be called to trial is on screen. Hollywood’s name is changed to Johnny Truelove and he’s portrayed as a wannabe ‘gangsta’ by Emile Hirsch. The events started in 2000. The lawyers representing Hollywood were trying to stop or at least postpone the release of the film. After seeing it, it is clear why. There is no question as to Hollywood’s involvement of the kidnapping. It paints a damn nasty picture of the man. The title, Alpha Dog is quite apt in its metaphorical representation of the nature of boys playing men. It begins with a ‘after the fact’ interview with Johnny Truelove’s father, Sonny (Bruce Willis). These interviews are peppered throughout the beginning of the film giving it a stark realism. The story is as follows: Jake Mazursky, Ben Foster (X3’s Angel), owes Johnny $1200. He also screwed up one of Truelove’s plans involving a “chopped’ car. Truelove wants his money, but Mazursky sees Johnny for what he is- a poser. He doesn’t take him seriously and refuses to pay, as well as beating the snot out of a few of Truelove’s ‘posse’. One night, Mazursky shows up at Truelove’s house with a few guys and trash his house. Mazursky tops off the destruction by taking a crap on Truelove’s rug. Truelove’s ‘posse’s initial reaction to this is to throw rocks through Jake’s window. While they are roaming the streets looking for Jake, they come upon his brother and Truelove has the brilliant (I say that sarcastically) idea of kidnapping him in order to force Mazursky to pay. One of the main members of Truelove’s ‘posse’ is Frankie (Justin Timberlake). He takes a shine to the kid and lets the boy ‘hang’ with them. While Zack is living the ‘high’ life with Frankie, his parents are beside themselves. His mother is played by Sharon Stone is easily the worst piece of this otherwise great film. She fills Olivia’s tank overflowing with emotion. If she had just dialed it down a notch and not tried to steal every scene she was in, her presence would have been tolerable, but all she does is distract the viewer from the big picture. The real heartbreak of this film comes from Zack’s bonding with Frankie, his friends, and their lavish lifestyle filled with drinking, drugs, and beautiful women. Even after living this life, Zack still maintains his positive outlook on life. The boy, who plays Zack, Anton Yelchin, is an actor to watch. He infuses the character with such warmth and charisma, that all I wanted to do was figure out how to break through the screen and save him. Considering the possibility that you don’t know how the story ends, I will stop the rehash and point out the movie’s shining points. I saw Black Snake Moan a few months ago. I thought Timberlake did a decent job, but he didn’t grab me(Jackson, Ricci, and Brewer’s writing and direction made the film the masterpiece it is.) I also saw the heavily panned Edison Force he starred in alongside Freeman and Spacey. He was all right, but thought he should get back to his day job. My opinion of his acting ability has changed one hundred percent. You can tell that he really absorbed himself in the part. Frankie wants to be the popular sidekick to Truelove, but what he seems to be wrestling with is his innate goodness. To be a part of Truelove’s drug dealing, he has to put that wanting in the background. Every subtle emotion that Frankie is going through is amazingly displayed on screen. I am no longer afraid of any other film starring Timberlake, in fact I look forward to them. Hirsch plays Truelove as the poser Jake knows he is. He is the son of Sonny Truelove who helps supply Johnny with the drugs to sell. He wants to be the hardass his father is, but doesn’t have the wit or the moxy to pull it off, so he hides behind his friends. What was the best performance of the film? Ben Foster by far. His Jake Mazursky is a crystal meth addicted, kung fu, tattooed, fucking machine, badass. He is truly frightening. I’ve been a fan of his since Freaks and Geeks, but I never knew he had this kind of raw emotion in him. With all the adjectives I used to describe his character, it seems difficult to take a character like that seriously. However, he not only makes him believable, but the hatred boiling through his veins, which is subtly conveyed, makes me believe that Foster may be one of the finest young actors working today. Cassavetes’ past films have been mediocre at best. However, his obvious love for this story is integrated in every frame of film, which made me forget The Notebook and John Q. The decision to use the “Witness” subtitles, and the ‘after the fact’ witness interviews was brilliant. It added a documentary feel that I wasn’t expecting. If this film were entirely fictional, I would have despised it. I would have found it unrealistic that kids could act that stupid. It would have seemed so damn contrived that I would have been left halfway through. But that this story is true makes it compelling, heartbreaking, and fun all at the same time. I couldn’t find a place to put this quote in the above so I’m just adding the funny line Frankie spouts here: He’s asked to meet someone somewhere and he says, “I can’t. My Dad’s bitch girlfriend is up my ass with a fucking broom!” (I’m a bit biased on the hilarity of that line. I knew someone who was actually fucked in the ass with a broom.)
