Alpha Dog
Encyclopedia
Alpha Dog is a 2007 crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, first screened at the Sundance Film Festival
on January 27, 2006, with a wide release the following year on January 12, 2007. The film is based on the true story of the kidnapping
and murder
of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz
and related events in 2000. It portrays the involvement of Jesse James Hollywood
, a young middle-class drug dealer in California
. The film stars Emile Hirsch
, Justin Timberlake
, Shawn Hatosy
, Ben Foster, Olivia Wilde
, Amanda Seyfried
, Anton Yelchin
with Harry Dean Stanton
, Sharon Stone
and Bruce Willis
.
), a young drug dealer in Claremont, California
and his circle of friends, which includes Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake
), Tiko "TKO" Martinez (Fernando Vargas
), and Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy
). The film demonstrates internal gang dynamics and social context that contribute to the events leading to kidnapping and murder.
The film starts with all the main characters, suspects, the victim, suspect's family, victim family, etc, as little children, playing around, reminiscing their childhood, when everything was carefree. At the end it shows Zack Mazursky.
The films opens with an interviewer talking to Sonny (Bruce Willis
) about his son, Johnny. Sonny tells the story.
Johnny's father, Sonny Truelove, supplies his son with marijuana
, from which Johnny makes a fortune dealing and selling. Johnny owns his own house where he holds meetings and parties. Another associate of the gang is Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), who owes Johnny a $1,200 drug debt. After a failed attempt at asking for the money from his parents, Olivia (Sharon Stone
) and Butch (David Thornton
) Mazursky, he goes over to Johnny's house where Johnny is having a party. A heated argument between the two results in a violent fight that Frankie and the gang break up, which also has Johnny pulling a gun on Jake. Jake tells Johnny that he'll never pay him the money. In retaliation, Johnny, his girlfriend, Angela, Sonny, and his godfather, Cosmo and his friends go to Jake's girlfriend, Wanda's job, where she is a waitress. Johnny writes on the receipt telling Wanda to deduct Jake's debt to pay for the bill. Johnny pretends to be Jake's parole officer and gets Jake fired from his job by telling his boss he's on drugs. Later that night, Jake and his gang break into Johnny's house, stealing his flat-screen TV, breaking his backyard window and defecating on the carpet, with Johnny there. Even though armed, he hides from Jake. The next day, Johnny, Frankie, and Tiko head to Jake's home but he is not there. On their way back, they stumble upon his 15 year old brother, Zack Mazursky (Anton Yelchin
) - who snuck out of his house to avoid an argument with his parents - and decide to kidnap him in broad daylight, throwing him into the van.
Wanting a break from his home life, Zack makes little effort to escape. During Fiesta, Frankie offers him a chance to get away, which Zack declines, not wanting to cause any trouble for his brother. The two strike up an unlikely friendship. Zack stays at Frankie's house for the night and even helps him with his chores. Meanwhile, Olivia and Butch learn Jake owes money to "someone", and a furious Olivia forces Jake to go look for Zack. Jake enters a party looking for Johnny, after a heated argument with one of Johnny's friends for information, an enraged Jake gets into an intense fight with the party-goers, which results in him defeating them all in anger. The next morning, Zack meets some of Frankie's friends, including Keith Stratten (Chris Marquette), and strikes up a relationship with Julie (Amanda Seyfried
), the youngest member of the group. They all learn of Zack's kidnapping, and Susan (Dominique Swain
) is the only one actually concerned about it. Frankie grows nervous when Johnny hypothetically offers Frankie $2,500 to murder Zack and dispose of his body. Frankie furiously declines and Johnny claims it was a joke. Frankie suggests that they can "grease the kid" or offer Zack money for him to keep his mouth shut, and then sort the whole situation privately with Jake. Johnny reluctantly agrees and the night turns into a party at Frankie's house. Johnny speaks to Zack, taking Frankie's advice of "greasing the kid" and promises that the next day this will all be over.
The next day at Zack's home, Olivia and Butch do everything they can to find Zack. Johnny calls Jake with the intent of explaining the situation, but learns that Jake already suspects it was him who kidnapped Zack and screams that he'll kill Johnny. Johnny hangs up and calls his lawyer and explains the situation as a hypothetical scenario. When his lawyer tells him that Johnny is looking at life in prison for his actions if Zack rats them out, Johnny becomes increasingly anxious, and asks what should they do and the lawyer jokingly says dig a deep hole and he gets suspicious and Johnny hangs up. Meanwhile, Susan is still concerned about Zack still being missing, but Frankie tells her if she say anything Johnny could go to jail and they'll wind up dead. Susan thinks he's being paranoid, but Frankie tells her the offer Johnny made to him to kill Zack. Frankie tells her he's not going to do it and that Johnny is quick tempered. Susan gets over it when Johnny calls Frankie to tell him that Zack is going home. That night, while Frankie, Zack, and the gang are at a party at a hotel, Johnny approaches Elvis, who is in deep debt with Johnny, and offers to cancel the debt if he agrees to have Zack murdered. Elvis is skeptical at first, but agrees and they go to their friend Pick (Vincent Kartheiser
) to borrow his mother's car. Johnny takes his girlfriend Angela (Olivia Wilde
) out for her birthday. Back at the party, Zack loses his virginity when he has sex with Julie and her girlfriend, Alma (Amber Heard
). Johnny calls Frankie, telling him to clear out the party and he's heading up there to take Zack home. It's Frankie, Zack & Keith. Elvis arrives at the hotel and explains to Frankie that Zack is not going home and was ordered by Johnny to have Zack killed. Frankie is enraged at Elvis, and angrily tells him he won't let him do it. Elvis instead takes Keith and they go to a remote location in the hills to dig a grave. When they get back to the hotel, Elvis tells a disturbed Frankie that they are all looking at life in prison if Zack goes home. Frankie sadly agrees and he, Elvis, and Keith trick Zack into thinking he's going home.
When Johnny brings Angela home, his godfather Cosmo (Harry Dean Stanton
), Sonny, and his lawyer are waiting for him. Sonny questions Johnny on Zack's whereabouts. Johnny plays dumb, but when Sonny tells him there's Missing Person Reports about Zack on every street corner. They all try to convince Johnny to let Zack go and that Sonny will try to bribe Zack and his family. Johnny doesn't think that will work. The lawyer tells Johnny he's gonna be looking at some jail time. The lawyer guarantees that Johnny will do two years minimum sentence. Johnny refuses to go to jail and tells them he put a hit on Zack. Sonny & Cosmo tells Johnny to call off the hit on Zack Johnny is unwilling to do so. Meanwhile, Frankie, Elvis, Zack, and Keith arrive in the hills and begin walking to the grave. Zack is not aware of what's going on and grows suspicious when a deeply saddened Keith silently tells Frankie he can't go through with it, and, after giving Zack a goodbye hug, goes to wait in the car. Zack sees the grave and begins to break down, sobbing and begging Frankie and Elvis to let him go. Frankie tells Elvis that they shouldn't do it, but Elvis is keen on the job he's been given. Realizing now that there's no going back, Frankie calms Zack down and tells him that he would never hurt him, and ties a weeping Zack up with tape. He is astonished when Elvis violently knocks Zack into the grave with the shovel and then fires at Zack with the pistol, killing him. Frankie and Elvis then silently leave.
Despite all the cover up, Zack's body is found three days later. The epilogue shows the aftermath of the crime. Olivia, now suffering from obesity
and depression
, is interviewed. She talks candidly about her failed suicide attempt
s and the loss that she has experienced from her son's murder. Susan confronts Frankie over Zack's death and goes to the authorities. Elvis goes to Pick's house for help but Pick turns him down, angry over the murder. Soon the police arrive and Elvis makes a run for it, though he is quickly stopped and arrested. Johnny hears what happened, and he and his girlfriend leave L.A. for New Mexico. After going out to get cigarettes, he sees Angela being arrested and hitchhikes a ride to meet his old school friend, Buzz. Buzz agrees to drive Johnny out of the country, but changes his mind several times and ultimately goes back to L.A. to see Cosmo. Buzz drives away after a look from Cosmo.
Soon after, the gang members are found and arrested. Tiko is arrested at his house, with FBI agents raiding his house. Keith turns himself in out of guilt. Frankie is arrested after he finds his dad cooperating with the police. After being convicted, they all serve their respective sentences: Tiko serving nine years for the kidnapping; Keith serving at a juvenile facility until the age of 25 for digging Zack's grave and second-degree murder; Frankie serving a seven years to life for special circumstances of aggravated kidnapping. Elvis is put on death row for kidnapping and murdering Zack. Johnny, however, is nowhere to be found.
Back in the present, an interviewer is asking Sonny how Johnny was able to escape authorities for four years. He thinks Sonny helped Johnny and knows exactly where Johnny is. Sonny assures that he doesn't know where Johnny is. Eventually, after over five years of being on the America's Most Wanted list, Johnny is finally found and arrested in Paraguay, by Interpol, in 2005. Text on the screen informs the audience that Johnny is in California awaiting trial, and, if proven guilty, faces the death penalty.
Ronald J. Zonen provided copies of many documents on the case and served as an unpaid consultant to the film, citing his desire to have Hollywood captured. Zonen prosecuted Hollywood’s co-defendants and was poised to prosecute Hollywood. After Hollywood was captured in Saquarema, Brazil and subsequently returned to the United States, his defense lawyer claimed there was a conflict of interest, and the California Court of Appeal
for the Second District ruled on October 5, 2006 that, based on Zonen's disclosure of the files and consultant service—he should be recused
from further involvement in prosecuting Hollywood. On December 20, 2006, the California Supreme Court granted review on the case effectively staying the order to recuse Zonen.
On May 12, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that Zonen should not be recused. Nonetheless, Zonen was replaced as lead prosecution attorney by Deputy Dist. Atty. Joshua Lynn.
In addition, Hollywood's attorney James Blatt tried to block the release of the movie.
After the delay, Hollywood's trial started May 15, 2009 with the defense's opening statements saying Hollywood was not involved with the murder. In his opening statement, Lynn described Hollywood as "a ruthless coward." On July 8, 2009 he was convicted of kidnapping and first-degree murder with special circumstances for which he can face the death penalty.
's portrayal of her son. After the screening she embraced Sharon Stone
, who played her in the movie.
on May 1, 2007. It includes a DVD/HD DVD
combo package where both forms are included in one box. DVD sales gathered $12,324,535 in revenue from 743,036 units sold. It was released on the Blu-ray
format on July 13, 2010.
on January 1, 2007.
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
on January 27, 2006, with a wide release the following year on January 12, 2007. The film is based on the true story of the kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz
Murder of Nicholas Markowitz
Nicholas Samuel "Nick" Markowitz was a American teenager who was kidnapped and murdered at the age of 15 after a feud over drug money between his half-brother Benjamin Markowitz and Jesse James Hollywood...
and related events in 2000. It portrays the involvement of Jesse James Hollywood
Jesse James Hollywood
Jesse James Hollywood is a former drug dealer who kidnapped and ordered the murder of Nicholas Markowitz and is serving life without parole for the murder in the California prison system.-Childhood and adolescence:...
, a young middle-class drug dealer in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The film stars Emile Hirsch
Emile Hirsch
Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American television and film actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television films and series, and became known as a film actor after roles in Lords of Dogtown, The Emperor's Club, The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog, and Into the Wild. In...
, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, Shawn Hatosy
Shawn Hatosy
Shawn Wayne Hatosy is an actor with over 40 film and television credits to his name.-Personal life:Hatosy was born in Frederick, Maryland, the son of Carol , a loan officer, and Wayne Hatosy, a graphic designer and event planning director...
, Ben Foster, Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...
, Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
, Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
with Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
, Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
and Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
.
Plot
Alpha Dog is based on events that took place in 2000 and characters are given fictional names. The film is set in November 1999. It tells the story of Johnny Truelove (Emile HirschEmile Hirsch
Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American television and film actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television films and series, and became known as a film actor after roles in Lords of Dogtown, The Emperor's Club, The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog, and Into the Wild. In...
), a young drug dealer in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
and his circle of friends, which includes Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
), Tiko "TKO" Martinez (Fernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas is a retired Mexican American boxer and two-time world champion, who won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. His nicknames include "Ferocious", "The Aztec Warrior" and "El Feroz"...
), and Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy
Shawn Hatosy
Shawn Wayne Hatosy is an actor with over 40 film and television credits to his name.-Personal life:Hatosy was born in Frederick, Maryland, the son of Carol , a loan officer, and Wayne Hatosy, a graphic designer and event planning director...
). The film demonstrates internal gang dynamics and social context that contribute to the events leading to kidnapping and murder.
The film starts with all the main characters, suspects, the victim, suspect's family, victim family, etc, as little children, playing around, reminiscing their childhood, when everything was carefree. At the end it shows Zack Mazursky.
The films opens with an interviewer talking to Sonny (Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
) about his son, Johnny. Sonny tells the story.
Johnny's father, Sonny Truelove, supplies his son with marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
, from which Johnny makes a fortune dealing and selling. Johnny owns his own house where he holds meetings and parties. Another associate of the gang is Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), who owes Johnny a $1,200 drug debt. After a failed attempt at asking for the money from his parents, Olivia (Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
) and Butch (David Thornton
David Thornton (actor)
David Thornton is an American actor. He is the husband of Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, whom he married in 1991. Their son, Declyn Wallace Thornton Lauper, was born on November 19, 1997.- Filmography :...
) Mazursky, he goes over to Johnny's house where Johnny is having a party. A heated argument between the two results in a violent fight that Frankie and the gang break up, which also has Johnny pulling a gun on Jake. Jake tells Johnny that he'll never pay him the money. In retaliation, Johnny, his girlfriend, Angela, Sonny, and his godfather, Cosmo and his friends go to Jake's girlfriend, Wanda's job, where she is a waitress. Johnny writes on the receipt telling Wanda to deduct Jake's debt to pay for the bill. Johnny pretends to be Jake's parole officer and gets Jake fired from his job by telling his boss he's on drugs. Later that night, Jake and his gang break into Johnny's house, stealing his flat-screen TV, breaking his backyard window and defecating on the carpet, with Johnny there. Even though armed, he hides from Jake. The next day, Johnny, Frankie, and Tiko head to Jake's home but he is not there. On their way back, they stumble upon his 15 year old brother, Zack Mazursky (Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
) - who snuck out of his house to avoid an argument with his parents - and decide to kidnap him in broad daylight, throwing him into the van.
Wanting a break from his home life, Zack makes little effort to escape. During Fiesta, Frankie offers him a chance to get away, which Zack declines, not wanting to cause any trouble for his brother. The two strike up an unlikely friendship. Zack stays at Frankie's house for the night and even helps him with his chores. Meanwhile, Olivia and Butch learn Jake owes money to "someone", and a furious Olivia forces Jake to go look for Zack. Jake enters a party looking for Johnny, after a heated argument with one of Johnny's friends for information, an enraged Jake gets into an intense fight with the party-goers, which results in him defeating them all in anger. The next morning, Zack meets some of Frankie's friends, including Keith Stratten (Chris Marquette), and strikes up a relationship with Julie (Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
), the youngest member of the group. They all learn of Zack's kidnapping, and Susan (Dominique Swain
Dominique Swain
Dominique Ariane Swain is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as the title character in the 1997 film adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita, and as Jamie Archer in the film Face/Off.- Early life :...
) is the only one actually concerned about it. Frankie grows nervous when Johnny hypothetically offers Frankie $2,500 to murder Zack and dispose of his body. Frankie furiously declines and Johnny claims it was a joke. Frankie suggests that they can "grease the kid" or offer Zack money for him to keep his mouth shut, and then sort the whole situation privately with Jake. Johnny reluctantly agrees and the night turns into a party at Frankie's house. Johnny speaks to Zack, taking Frankie's advice of "greasing the kid" and promises that the next day this will all be over.
The next day at Zack's home, Olivia and Butch do everything they can to find Zack. Johnny calls Jake with the intent of explaining the situation, but learns that Jake already suspects it was him who kidnapped Zack and screams that he'll kill Johnny. Johnny hangs up and calls his lawyer and explains the situation as a hypothetical scenario. When his lawyer tells him that Johnny is looking at life in prison for his actions if Zack rats them out, Johnny becomes increasingly anxious, and asks what should they do and the lawyer jokingly says dig a deep hole and he gets suspicious and Johnny hangs up. Meanwhile, Susan is still concerned about Zack still being missing, but Frankie tells her if she say anything Johnny could go to jail and they'll wind up dead. Susan thinks he's being paranoid, but Frankie tells her the offer Johnny made to him to kill Zack. Frankie tells her he's not going to do it and that Johnny is quick tempered. Susan gets over it when Johnny calls Frankie to tell him that Zack is going home. That night, while Frankie, Zack, and the gang are at a party at a hotel, Johnny approaches Elvis, who is in deep debt with Johnny, and offers to cancel the debt if he agrees to have Zack murdered. Elvis is skeptical at first, but agrees and they go to their friend Pick (Vincent Kartheiser
Vincent Kartheiser
Vincent Paul Kartheiser is an American actor known for playing Connor in Angel and Pete Campbell in Mad Men.-Early life:Kartheiser was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Janet Marie and James Ralph Kartheiser...
) to borrow his mother's car. Johnny takes his girlfriend Angela (Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...
) out for her birthday. Back at the party, Zack loses his virginity when he has sex with Julie and her girlfriend, Alma (Amber Heard
Amber Heard
Amber Laura Heard is an American actress and model. She played the lead and title character in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. Heard's first starring role came in 2007 on the CW television show Hidden Palms...
). Johnny calls Frankie, telling him to clear out the party and he's heading up there to take Zack home. It's Frankie, Zack & Keith. Elvis arrives at the hotel and explains to Frankie that Zack is not going home and was ordered by Johnny to have Zack killed. Frankie is enraged at Elvis, and angrily tells him he won't let him do it. Elvis instead takes Keith and they go to a remote location in the hills to dig a grave. When they get back to the hotel, Elvis tells a disturbed Frankie that they are all looking at life in prison if Zack goes home. Frankie sadly agrees and he, Elvis, and Keith trick Zack into thinking he's going home.
When Johnny brings Angela home, his godfather Cosmo (Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
), Sonny, and his lawyer are waiting for him. Sonny questions Johnny on Zack's whereabouts. Johnny plays dumb, but when Sonny tells him there's Missing Person Reports about Zack on every street corner. They all try to convince Johnny to let Zack go and that Sonny will try to bribe Zack and his family. Johnny doesn't think that will work. The lawyer tells Johnny he's gonna be looking at some jail time. The lawyer guarantees that Johnny will do two years minimum sentence. Johnny refuses to go to jail and tells them he put a hit on Zack. Sonny & Cosmo tells Johnny to call off the hit on Zack Johnny is unwilling to do so. Meanwhile, Frankie, Elvis, Zack, and Keith arrive in the hills and begin walking to the grave. Zack is not aware of what's going on and grows suspicious when a deeply saddened Keith silently tells Frankie he can't go through with it, and, after giving Zack a goodbye hug, goes to wait in the car. Zack sees the grave and begins to break down, sobbing and begging Frankie and Elvis to let him go. Frankie tells Elvis that they shouldn't do it, but Elvis is keen on the job he's been given. Realizing now that there's no going back, Frankie calms Zack down and tells him that he would never hurt him, and ties a weeping Zack up with tape. He is astonished when Elvis violently knocks Zack into the grave with the shovel and then fires at Zack with the pistol, killing him. Frankie and Elvis then silently leave.
Despite all the cover up, Zack's body is found three days later. The epilogue shows the aftermath of the crime. Olivia, now suffering from obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
and depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, is interviewed. She talks candidly about her failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempts comprise a large portion of suicide attempts. Some are regarded as not true attempts at all, but rather parasuicide. The usual attempt may be a wish to affect another person by the behaviour. Consequently, it occurs in a social context and may represent a request for help....
s and the loss that she has experienced from her son's murder. Susan confronts Frankie over Zack's death and goes to the authorities. Elvis goes to Pick's house for help but Pick turns him down, angry over the murder. Soon the police arrive and Elvis makes a run for it, though he is quickly stopped and arrested. Johnny hears what happened, and he and his girlfriend leave L.A. for New Mexico. After going out to get cigarettes, he sees Angela being arrested and hitchhikes a ride to meet his old school friend, Buzz. Buzz agrees to drive Johnny out of the country, but changes his mind several times and ultimately goes back to L.A. to see Cosmo. Buzz drives away after a look from Cosmo.
Soon after, the gang members are found and arrested. Tiko is arrested at his house, with FBI agents raiding his house. Keith turns himself in out of guilt. Frankie is arrested after he finds his dad cooperating with the police. After being convicted, they all serve their respective sentences: Tiko serving nine years for the kidnapping; Keith serving at a juvenile facility until the age of 25 for digging Zack's grave and second-degree murder; Frankie serving a seven years to life for special circumstances of aggravated kidnapping. Elvis is put on death row for kidnapping and murdering Zack. Johnny, however, is nowhere to be found.
Back in the present, an interviewer is asking Sonny how Johnny was able to escape authorities for four years. He thinks Sonny helped Johnny and knows exactly where Johnny is. Sonny assures that he doesn't know where Johnny is. Eventually, after over five years of being on the America's Most Wanted list, Johnny is finally found and arrested in Paraguay, by Interpol, in 2005. Text on the screen informs the audience that Johnny is in California awaiting trial, and, if proven guilty, faces the death penalty.
Cast
| Role | Role in story | Actor | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Truelove | Leader. The Alpha Dog | Emile Hirsch Emile Hirsch Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American television and film actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television films and series, and became known as a film actor after roles in Lords of Dogtown, The Emperor's Club, The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog, and Into the Wild. In... |
Jesse James Hollywood Jesse James Hollywood Jesse James Hollywood is a former drug dealer who kidnapped and ordered the murder of Nicholas Markowitz and is serving life without parole for the murder in the California prison system.-Childhood and adolescence:... (convicted July 8, 2009 of the kidnapping and murder of Nick Markowitz and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.); 20 years old at the time. |
| Frankie "Nuts" Ballenbacher | Victim's watcher and supervision, best friend | Justin Timberlake Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez... |
Jesse Rugge Jesse Rugge Jesse Taylor Rugge is one of the former members of Jesse James Hollywood's gang that helped in the murder of Nicholas Markowitz. Rugge was charged with helping in the kidnap and execution of Nicholas Markowitz.... (sentenced to life in prison, for the kidnapping of Nick Markowitz with the possibility of parole Parole Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their... after seven years. His petition for parole was denied in 2006.); 20 years old at the time. |
| Elvis Schmidt | Leader's servant. Shooter | Shawn Hatosy Shawn Hatosy Shawn Wayne Hatosy is an actor with over 40 film and television credits to his name.-Personal life:Hatosy was born in Frederick, Maryland, the son of Carol , a loan officer, and Wayne Hatosy, a graphic designer and event planning director... |
Ryan Hoyt Ryan Hoyt Ryan Hoyt is an associate of Jesse James Hollywood and who was convicted of the murder of Nick Markowitz on August 9, 2000... (currently on death row at San Quentin for the murder of Nick Markowitz); 21 years old at the time. |
| Jake Mazursky | Elder Half-Brother of Victim | Ben Foster | Benjamin Markowitz; 22 years old at the time. Served three years in prison for robbery. Since released. |
| Zack Mazursky | Victim | Anton Yelchin Anton Yelchin Anton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis... |
Nicholas Markowitz (murdered by Ryan Hoyt, a member of Jesse James Hollywood Jesse James Hollywood Jesse James Hollywood is a former drug dealer who kidnapped and ordered the murder of Nicholas Markowitz and is serving life without parole for the murder in the California prison system.-Childhood and adolescence:... 's crew.) Nick was 15 when he died. Hollywood has since been tried and convicted for the kidnapping and his role in the murder. |
| Olivia Mazursky | Mother of Victim | Sharon Stone Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct... |
Susan Markowitz |
| Keith Stratten | Confused pot-head | Chris Marquette | Graham Pressley; 17 at the Time. In July 2002 tried as a minor and October 2002 as an adult. Served five years in juvie for digging Nick's grave. Second degree murder. (Released from the California Youth Authority in 2007.) |
| Susan Hartunian | Concern for the Victim | Dominique Swain Dominique Swain Dominique Ariane Swain is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as the title character in the 1997 film adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita, and as Jamie Archer in the film Face/Off.- Early life :... |
Natasha Adams-Young (Given Immunity in Exchange for Her Testimony). Friend of Rugge, Graham, and Nick; 19 at the time. After reading in the paper that Nick was murdered, she confronted Rugge and asked if he had anything to do with it. Despite Rugge explaining that he didn't, she knew he was lying and she told her father, a lawyer, what happened; he in turn called police. |
| Bobby "911" Kaye | drug dealer | Alex Solowitz Alex Solowitz Alexzander Joshua Solowitz is an American actor, composer, singer, dancer, and producer.Solowitz was born in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California to a large Jewish family. He has a younger sister Aleeza Solowitz, a columnist who also works in the film industry and lives between Los... |
Brian Affronti joined Hollywood and the crew minutes after they had kidnapped Nick; 20 at the time. |
| Tiko 'TKO' Martinez | Leader's muscle | Fernando Vargas Fernando Vargas Fernando Vargas is a retired Mexican American boxer and two-time world champion, who won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. His nicknames include "Ferocious", "The Aztec Warrior" and "El Feroz"... |
William Skidmore Nine years in state prison for kidnapping and robbery out of a plea bargain; 20 at the time. Skidmore was released in April 2009. |
| Angela Holden | Leader's trick | Olivia Wilde Olivia Wilde Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr... |
Michelle Lasher, Hollywood's girlfriend; 19 at the time. Arrested for harboring a fugitive (Hollywood). |
| Buzz Fecske | Leader's getaway driver | Lukas Haas Lukas Haas Lukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born... |
Chas Saulsbury, Hollywood's friend. Last met during junior high. Tried to help Hollywood get out of the country. Arrested for harboring a fugitive. |
| Sonny Truelove | Big time "Mob Boss" | Bruce Willis Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles... |
John "Jack" Hollywood Jesse James's father. Arrested in 2005, the same day son Jesse James was captured in Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... , for manufacturing the illicit narcotic GHB Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid γ-Hydroxybutyric acid , also known as 4-hydroxybutanoic acid and sodium oxybate when used for medicinal purposes, is a naturally occurring substance found in the central nervous system, wine, beef, small citrus fruits, and almost all animals in small amounts. It is also categorized as an illegal... , but the charge was later thrown out in court. Jack remained in custody on an outstanding 2002 warrant for a marijuana-related charge, and later received 18 months in an Arizona Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... prison. Since released. |
| Wanda Haynes | Half-brother's victim's girl | Heather Wahlquist Heather Wahlquist Heather Wahlquist is an American film and television actress. She is married to director/writer Nick Cassavetes and has appeared in several of his films.... |
Ben's fiancée. |
| Julie Beckley | Victim's girl | Amanda Seyfried Amanda Seyfried Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My... |
Jeanine, Nick's girlfriend; 17 at the time. |
| Pick Giaimo | Brain dead stoner | Vincent Kartheiser Vincent Kartheiser Vincent Paul Kartheiser is an American actor known for playing Connor in Angel and Pete Campbell in Mad Men.-Early life:Kartheiser was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Janet Marie and James Ralph Kartheiser... |
Casey Sheehan, Hollywood's friend. His vehicle was used in the murder of Nick Markowitz. Arrested, then bailed out; 20 at the time. |
| Cosmo Gadabeeti | Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge... |
John Roberts, Jesse James's godfather, and Jack's best friend. His van was used in the kidnapping of Nick Markowitz. | |
| Detective Tom Finnegan | Holt McCallany Holt McCallany Holt McCallany is an Irish American actor, writer, and producer working primarily in film and television.-Early life:... |
Officer looking for Hollywood; he arrested the crew as well as interviewed witnesses. | |
| Sabrina Pope | Charity Shea Charity Shea Charity Shea is an American actress. She is best known for her role as troubled teenager Samantha Best in The Best Years. She has starred in films including Alpha Dog with Justin Timberlake and Bruce Willis... |
Kelly Carpenter (given immunity in exchange for testimony), Rugge's girlfriend; 16 at the time. | |
| Alma | Amber Heard Amber Heard Amber Laura Heard is an American actress and model. She played the lead and title character in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. Heard's first starring role came in 2007 on the CW television show Hidden Palms... |
Legal issues
During filming, Santa Barbara County Deputy District AttorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Ronald J. Zonen provided copies of many documents on the case and served as an unpaid consultant to the film, citing his desire to have Hollywood captured. Zonen prosecuted Hollywood’s co-defendants and was poised to prosecute Hollywood. After Hollywood was captured in Saquarema, Brazil and subsequently returned to the United States, his defense lawyer claimed there was a conflict of interest, and the California Court of Appeal
California Court of Appeal
The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided into six appellate districts...
for the Second District ruled on October 5, 2006 that, based on Zonen's disclosure of the files and consultant service—he should be recused
Recusal
Judicial disqualification, also referred to as recusal, refers to the act of abstaining from participation in an official action such as a legal proceeding due to a conflict of interest of the presiding court official or administrative officer. Applicable statutes or canons of ethics may provide...
from further involvement in prosecuting Hollywood. On December 20, 2006, the California Supreme Court granted review on the case effectively staying the order to recuse Zonen.
On May 12, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that Zonen should not be recused. Nonetheless, Zonen was replaced as lead prosecution attorney by Deputy Dist. Atty. Joshua Lynn.
In addition, Hollywood's attorney James Blatt tried to block the release of the movie.
After the delay, Hollywood's trial started May 15, 2009 with the defense's opening statements saying Hollywood was not involved with the murder. In his opening statement, Lynn described Hollywood as "a ruthless coward." On July 8, 2009 he was convicted of kidnapping and first-degree murder with special circumstances for which he can face the death penalty.
Box office
During its opening weekend, Alpha Dog grossed $6,412,775 and was #7 at the box office. The film closed on February 22, 2007 after grossing $15.2 million domestically, and totaled $32,145,115 worldwide over its six-week release.Critical response
The film received mixed reviews 54% of reviews on rottentomatoes.com being positive, the consensus being, "a glossy yet unflinching portrait of violent, hedonistic teenagers. Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone chew the scenery, while Justin Timberlake gives a noteworthy performance." Up-and-comer Anton Yelchin is praised as "able to bring all of the conflicting emotions of Zack," and conveying all of it beautifully.Susan and Jeff Markowitz's reaction
Susan Markowitz has attempted to commit suicide three times. Jeff Markowitz elaborated, "She is so tortured by what happened that she has tried to take her own life. The last thing that either of us want is to see this picture. How would any loving parent feel about a Hollywood movie that glamorizes their son's death and allows celebrities to cash in on a brutal, evil murder?" Nonetheless, Susan Markowitz attended the film's release and reportedly was moved by Anton YelchinAnton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
's portrayal of her son. After the screening she embraced Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
, who played her in the movie.
Home media
Alpha Dog was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on May 1, 2007. It includes a DVD/HD DVD
HD DVD
HD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
combo package where both forms are included in one box. DVD sales gathered $12,324,535 in revenue from 743,036 units sold. It was released on the Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
format on July 13, 2010.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack for the film was released by Milan RecordsMilan Records
Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan boasts an extensive electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases....
on January 1, 2007.
- "Over the RainbowOver the Rainbow"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
" performed by Eva CassidyEva CassidyEva Marie Cassidy was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996... - "Enemy and I" performed by Lazarus
- "Bullet & a Target" performed by Citizen CopeCitizen CopeClarence Greenwood is an American songwriter and producer. His eclectic mix of blues, laid-back rock, soul, and folk has a large and profoundly dedicated following, built over the past decade of touring due to solid word of mouth....
- "Jake Breaks In" performed by Paul Bushnell
- "Caribou Lou" performed by Tech N9neTech N9neAaron Dontez Yates , better known by his stage name Tech N9ne , is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri. In 1999, Yates and Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Throughout his career, Yates has sold over one million albums and has had his music featured in film,...
- "Revolving" performed by Paul Bushnell
- "Slither" performed by Tech N9ne
- "Liar" performed by Miredys Peguero & Paul Graham
- "Winner" performed by Paul Bushnell
- "Let's Chill" performed by Mic Holden, Maya & Reneé Rogers
- "Dragonfly" performed by Miredys Peguero & Paul Bushnell
- "LA LA Land" performed by Tech N9ne feat. Gina Cassavetes
- "Pool Party" performed by Mic Holden
- "Never Give Up" performed by Mic Holden
- "At the Site/Driving to the Site" written by Aaron Zigman & Nick Cassavetes
- "We Are The Lost" performed by Lawrence Faljean
- "Basketball" performed by Lowd
- "Cookie Monster" performed by Paul Graham & Paul Bushnell
- "Elvis Arrested" written by Aaron Zigman
- "Weightlifting" performed by Lowd
- "Marco Polo" performed by Lowd & Cassie Simone
- "Night and Day" performed by Tech N9ne
- "Say Goodbye Hollywood" performed by EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...