Review of Alpha Dog (2006) by Ryan L — 23 Mar 2011

That was a very un-easy movie" as my fiancée Robyn just commented. I believe that is as good as a place to start as any when discussing Alpha Dog. From the very beginning the movie is moving at a dark, fast pace giving us a look into the lives of a troubled group of kids. Each character is introduced with a fair amount of depth and the audience is given a chance to really get to know what drives their motives and shapes their personalities. This was particularly important in this film since it's plot relies heavily on individual choice and circumstance.

Money and drugs play a big roll in creating the conflicts that spawn between the feuding groups of kids. Johnny Truelove, a drug peddling child of an even more dangerous crime-tied father gets into a heated dispute with another junky, Jake Mazursky over an unsettled dept brought on from a business transaction gone wrong. This would go on to serve as the cause of street war involving violence, vandalism and threats of murder between the two parties and their crews. Ultimately, in an attempt to force Jake into a position of paying ransom, Truelove kidnaps his younger brother in a poorly constructed act of revenge that is mapped out as he goes.

The cumbersome effort by Johnny and his gang leave a trail of witnesses and evidence that spoil any chance of the boys not being fingered for the crime. As the days go on and the situation becomes more complicated, the nappers involved nervously contemplate any means of rectifying their situation. The decisions the characters make lead to a dramatic "solution" to their dire circumstances.

One of the high points of the film is that it keeps an attentive audience at constant interest by thickening the plot steadily as the scenes progress. Though the overall tone of the movie is dramatic, there is also another layer that runs parallel to this that has a very superficial but playful atmosphere riddled with moments of partying and adolescent fun. The 15 year old who is kidnapped is treated kindly throughout his ordeal and is not only welcomed by his captors and the people he encounters, but genuinely cared for by some as well. This helped distract me from paying attention only to the negative aspects of situation and also aided in keeping me from knowing what was going to happen next.

It is creatively shot, well scripted, and has a realistic vibe to it that not only comes from a great job from the actors but the fact that the movie is based on a true event. Occasionally some of the characters become annoying because of their doped out lifestyles, but never for long enough to turn my anticipation off. The seemingly meaningless moments that are abundant in the mid of the movie ultimately serve a purpose by giving the audience a chance to care about the well beings of their favorite cast members.

It will not go down as one of the greatest gangster movies of all time and it really doesn't fit into that category. It is rather an eye-opening modern drama that shows the consequences of poor decisions that people make in life and how a situation can spiral out of control when the misguided continue down a dark path when they should have turned back.

Rating: 7 out of 10.