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Alpha Dog
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Alpha Dog (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 95 | slideshow) Videos (see all 22)
Alpha Dog (2006) -- A drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list.
Alpha Dog (2006) -- Clip: Frankie offers to let Zach take a bus home
Alpha Dog (2006) -- Interview: Justin Timberlake "On Director Nick Cassavetes Making the Film"
Alpha Dog (2006) -- A drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list.
Alpha Dog (2006) -- A drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list.

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   35,488 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Nick Cassavetes (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Alpha Dog on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 January 2007 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Inspired by true events. more
Plot:
A drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(128 articles)
The Messenger's Ben Foster: 'I Love and Hate What I Do'
 (From Movieline. 18 December 2009, 9:30 AM, PST)

1st Look: Joel Schumacher's Twelve
 (From ioncinema. 12 December 2009, 6:25 PM, PST)

User Reviews:
Alpha Dog more (243 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bruce Willis ... Sonny Truelove

Matthew Barry ... Interviewer (as Matt Barry)

Emile Hirsch ... Johnny Truelove
Fernando Vargas ... Tiko 'TKO' Martinez

Vincent Kartheiser ... Pick Giaimo

Justin Timberlake ... Frankie Ballenbacher

Shawn Hatosy ... Elvis Schmidt
Alex Solowitz ... Bobby '911'
Alec Vigil ... P.J. Truelove

Harry Dean Stanton ... Cosmo Gadabeeti
Frank Cassavetes ... Adrian Jones
Nicole Dubos ... Neighborhood Girl on Couch

Regina Rice ... Dance Bitch Girl

Laura Nativo ... Party Girl

Ben Foster ... Jake Mazursky
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Jesse James Hollywood (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for pervasive drug use and language, strong violence, sexuality and nudity.
Runtime:
USA:122 min | USA:117 min (Sundance Film Festival) | Germany:118 min | Argentina:122 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
2006 Sundance closing film. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: The Grn Apple Tree baseball tee worn by Frankie late in the film would not be released until the mid 2000's. Magic Hat beer is seen in several different scenes, but Magic Hat is not sold outside of the North East US states. The film takes place in CA. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Sonny Truelove: You wanna know what this is all about? You can say it's about drugs or guns or disaffected youth, or whatever you like. But this whole thing is about parenting. It's about taking care of your children. You take care of yours, I take care of mine.
more
Movie Connections:
References Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) more
Soundtrack:
Johnny & Jake Fight more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
48 out of 80 people found the following review useful.
Alpha Dog, 20 January 2007
10/10
Author: cultfilmfan from Canada

Alpha Dog is inspired by actual events and is about a drug dealer named Johnny Truelove who is owed money by an acquaintance of his named Jake. Seeing as Jake is not paying up, Johnny and his gang of friends decide to kidnap Jake's younger brother Zack and hold him until Jake pays. At first Zack is getting along really well with the people who kidnapped him and basically they just party and have fun all the time and Zack is not concerned at all. When Zack's parents and Jake become suspicious of who abducted him Johnny makes a plan with his friends as to what to do and things take a turn for the worst. Alpha Dog has good direction, a good script and good performances by the entire cast. After I left Alpha Dog, I realized just how impressed I was with it. Director and writer Nick Cassavetes does a great job of writing these teenage characters and just showing how they live their day to day lives. There is a certain authentic touch he gives these characters that makes the film all the more real and believable. The performances he gets out of these actors is also really impressive because everyone in this film shines. Near the end of the film the suspense builds up and the tension is delivered well and after the movie I could really feel the power of this film and it really made an impact on me. This is a type of film that left an impact on me that only truly great and powerfully made and delivered films will do. A lot of the film is just these teenage characters hanging out, partying and getting into trouble, but because it felt so real and genuine it was fascinating to watch. The scenes leading up to the powerful conclusion are also well written and I liked how the film looked at times like a documentary and at other times like a regular docudrama. The seediness and gritty nature of these characters and how they live and interact with each other is really showcased very well here and I don't think a film about teenagers and their lives has had such an impact on me since Larry Clark's Kids and Bully. This film is very similar to those films in a lot of ways and at times even borrows in their technique. However seeing as how I loved Kids and Bully this wasn't a problem for me at all and it just added to my love and admiration for this film. For a truly powerful and captivating motion picture that is a genuine and realistic slice of life which really had an impact on me I highly recommend this film. This is also the first film I have seen of 2007 and if there are more films with this kind of style, power and energy this year then 2007 will be a great year for movies.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Alpha Dog (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
does anyone know the song thats playing during the first night of the ki Super_McFly
Bully or Alpha Dog? SpyderPig
Highly underrated datadyne_mm
Question about the kidnapping... loverddw
New video of Hollywood back in court, he loses his cool btownsend8366
deleted scenes right here... Super_McFly
more

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