Alpha Dog:
When money and
drugs rule your
sanity
Bibek Bhandari
Staff Writer
Fun and games can lead to
a dead-end.
When one crosses his
limits of sanity, insanity
itself scavenges him. Alpha Dog is
one such youthful story in which
the lives of some youngsters go
bad when money and drugs rule
their sanity.
Johnny Truelove, a rich brat,
wannabe drug dealer, is fulfi lled
with life's luxuries. His life revolves
around his own universe:
parties, drugs and his group of
boozed buds, all stoned in the posh
L.A. neighborhood. An imitation
of a thug's life, where girls, weapons
and weed become obsessions.
When one of the guys, Jake, fails
to pay the deal money to Truelove,
he kidnaps Jake's younger brother
Zach.
The kidnapping looks OK —
apparently there are no intentions
of hurting the young boy. Truelove
takes Zach to Palm Springs along
with his buddies. The minor mingles
with the group at their parties
and drug experiences without his
parents' surveillance. He is having
one of the best summers of
his life. However, Zach is under
the scrutiny of Frankie, Truelove's
close friend.
The summertime seems perfect.
until they realize that Zach
is a hostage who can't be just returned
without obligations. Zach's
worried parents already have the
police searching for their son, and
Truelove's dad is on a constant
mission to return Zach. By this
time, Truelove is already aware
of the consequences of returning
Zach. The good-looking, bad time
turns worse, as Truelove fi nds
himself trapped. Even his closest
ally, Frankie, has no idea on how
to make a U-turn to normalcy.
The situation leads Truelove
to take charge. For better or
for worse, he wants to end it all.
Frankie is forced to support his
friend's action.
How would the summer turn out
for them all? Nick Cassavetes' Alpha
Dog unfolds the story this winter.
Acclaimed director of Mask and The Notebook, Cassavetes
shows his directorial efficiency
yet another time in Alpha Dog. He
has taken the story of the group
of youngsters to a level that their
generation can identify with.
The actors are perfect, making
this real-life story come alive on
the reel. Their tattooed bodies and
slang-fi lled casual conversation
make them more convincing.
Emile Hirsche (Lords of Dogtown)
is only good as Johnny Truelove.
You love to hate him in the
movie.
Ben Foster of X-Men: The
Last Stand fame shows panache
as Jake. He executes well the role
of the infuriated man encircled by
his life's personal problems.
Shawn Hatosy (The Faculty)
as Elvis Schmidt makes his best
moves around Truelove, acting as
a faithful, dominated member of
his groupies.
Anton Yelchin fits in ideally
as Zach. This young kid gives a
high-class performance.
The surprise package of the
movie is the Sexyback singer, Justin
Timberlake, as Frankie. He
adds his charisma to Frankie's
character, delivering his best onscreen
performance in one of the
important roles in his movie career
so far. |
