Alpha Dog
March 6th 2009 15:01
An uneven but satisfying film.
Nick Cassavetes is a director who has not created a very good reputation as a film maker so far which is a pity. As the son of late film maker John Cassavetes and actor Gena Rowlands, you want so much to like what he does, he just makes it very hard to do so. With a series of badly directed and at best, uneven films under his belt, he leaves a lot to be desired.
So – after all that – what the hell made me rent ‘Alpha Dog’? I have no idea, all I know is I was surprised by it and I’m happy. Written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, Alpha Dog is based on the true story, set in the U.S. of Johnny Truelove (played by Emile Hirsch from ‘Milk’ and ‘Into The Wild’), a wannabe gangster who crosses the line and goes too far.
Set in the world of white young men who think they have balls of steel, listen to too much ‘Gangsta rap’ and carry a ‘glock’ with no bullets. When hot headed, unhinged Jake Mazursky (played marvellously by Ben Foster) owes these try hard gangsters money - Johnny Truelove starts making threats which Jake believes Johnny and his friends can’t follow through with. When Jake retaliates and comes close to killing Johnny, the situation escalates into a battle for dominance and results in an irreparable situation, where these wannabe gangsters start to feel real heat. Aside from Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch, this ensemble cast includes – Anton Yelchin, an actor I’m unfamiliar with who has a pivotal role in the story as he plays the younger brother of the Ben Foster character, Sharon Stone, Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake and Harry Dean Stanton.
A young teenage boy played by Anton Yelchin, being taken....err....'hostage'
Now – I’ll start by saying that after an absolutely revolting opening credit sequence which made me fear for my sanity, ten minutes or fifteen minutes in I wound up thinking to myself, ‘this isn’t half bad’ – after that the film really picked up and started getting better and better as it found its groove and the story unfolded. Young Nick appears to be getting a better grasp on what to do and what not to do with his camera and editing and speaking of editing, there is some nifty inventiveness with the use of split screens which find its way in too. Aside from having some moments which come dangerously close to having a ‘made for television’ feel to them – Alpha Dog is leaps and bounds ahead of anything Nick Cassavetes has made previously.
Nick Cassavetes is more competent than probably many thought he would be in handling this type of material. There is a velocity that develops with in the film that becomes down right thrilling to watch. The best moments in this film come from when the hot heads of these characters are set alight and we watch them burn and explode, particularly Ben Foster who gives a virtuosic performance.
There are so many good qualities to this film which I was surprised by, it finds an absolutely fantastic rhythm as the film builds to a climax which holds a huge emotional impact, in fact many of the scenes towards the end take on such an eerie and emotionally authentic tone, the kind that makes you feel like you were actually there. If Nick Cassavetes could maintain this type of focus in his other films we could see some really good things from him.
With all that said, there were still some minor missteps along the way (don’t be put off by the opening sequence – wait – do be put off by it, it’s your right to, but maybe just skip over it or something), some of the others included some casting issues and while I love Emile Hirsch, I just cant see him in the role which he played in this film – while he is absolutely fantastic in Alpha Dog, I kept asking myself through out the film if I thought I actually believed in his casting simply based on his physical appearance. Hirsch is cast against type which is the whole point but he kicks ass all the same even if his small frame and boyish face seem out of place in this group of thugs.
Justin Timberlake shows potential as an actor.
The most pervasive flaw in Alpha Dog is in the somewhat inconsistent quality of writing. The quality fluctuates, but overall the film’s spirit and great direction washes over this problem with success.
Alpha Dog ultimately does hold some surprises, namely Justin Timberlake who, without ruining the story, plays one of Truelove’s close friends who inadvertently becomes an almost brotherly type figure to one of the other pivotal characters in the story. Based on this performance, if Timberlake can measure what his limitations are and then pick his roles based on some self awareness of his strengths and weaknesses I think he could turn out some impressive performances in the future and even develop into a fine actor over the next few years. Another interesting surprise in the film is where Sharon Stone’s character heads. Stone plays the mother of a missing boy and after opening the creative floodgates with her turn in ‘Casino’, is beginning to turn out some really impressive work (Broken Flowers, Bobby). In Alpha Dog she delivers her final scene with all the madness of one of Beethoven’s symphony’s.
Ultimately, I must recommend Alpha Dog, warts and all, as it holds many layers to be explored. It is a rich and solid film which holds some true emotional revelations waiting inside for it’s audience. Helmed by a film maker who doesn’t seem to have much of an eye for detail, Alpha Dog is a film which at it’s least is stylish and entertaining and it’s best will harrow and thrill you.
| 49 |
| Vote |
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure