Alpha Dog (DVD)

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"Alpha Dog" is based on the true life story of Jesse James Hollywood (surprisingly, his real name), who became one of the youngest people to make the FBI´s most wanted list. In 2000, Hollywood and cronies kidnapped the younger brother of an associate that owed him money. The boy, who was fifteen, was later found dead in a shallow grave. Writer/director Nick Cassavetes was given unparalleled access to case files by the prosecution, files that he probably shouldn´t have seen. Legal issues led to Cassavetes changing numerous names and locations, but the basic story is still the same. While the late, great John Cassavetes masterfully tackled the crime film in "Killing of a Chinese Bookie", his son doesn´t come close to creating as captivating a story.

Emile Hirsch (the future Speed Racer) takes the role of the fictionalized version of Hollywood, Johnny Truelove. He´s diminutive and overcompensates by piling on the phony tough even if it´s evident he has no clue what he´s doing. Johnny deals pot provided for him by his father, Sonny (Bruce Willis), and, as such, affords himself and his friends with a nice house to do drugs and party non-stop. One of Johnny´s hangers-on, Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), owes him the paltry sum of $1200. The debt leads to a violent fight between the two and further escalates as Jake does the typical downward spiral of a drug addict. Jake´s younger half-brother, Zach (Anton Yelchin) idolizes his brother and constantly sneaks out of his parents´ house to smoke pot and drink beer with Jake. After Jake breaks into his house and steals a TV, Johnny and his posse go looking for him. Unable to find Jake, they bump into Zach and abduct him, thinking Jake will surely pay up.

Zach isn´t the usual kidnap victim. He doesn´t spend the whole time tied up with a gag in his mouth. In fact, he´s placed into the charge of Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake) who develops a brotherly bond with the young lad. Zach gets beer, drugs, plays video games, and even loses his virginity (in a "Wild Things"-esque sequence) to two girls in a swimming pool. Meanwhile, Johnny begins unraveling when he learns that kidnapping means a life sentence in prison. Johnny makes the call to have his most loyal flunky, Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy), for him and Frankie to kill Zach.

The criminal underworld of "Alpha Dog´ isn´t filled with dark alleys and urban decay. It´s a world of privilege and suburban splendor where lush mansions, swimming pools, and SUVs are the norm. These kids don´t come from harsh backgrounds; they have everything they could ever want. I suppose that includes MTV too because they speak in the language of a street they´ve never been on in their entire lives. They´re just lazy, pothead posers that spew the F-bomb at the drop of a hat. The children of suburbia gone wild. I suppose we´re meant to feel for them, but I didn´t. I just found them all to be annoying and just plain stupid, maybe I´m just too cynical.

Since the film is based on true events, the conclusion is a given. The point is further driven home as Cassavetes sprinkles into the film documentary-style interviews with the characters as he questions them about what happened. There are also numerous titles labeling witnesses, times, and locations. Lacking the dramatic tension of a conclusion in doubt, the film chooses to string our emotions along by forcing us to wait for the inevitable carnage. But, we´re forced to wait far too long.