Alpha Dog Information

Alpha Dog is a 2006 American 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, Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Anton Yelchin, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried with Harry Dean Stanton, Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis.

Plot

Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) is a young marijuana dealer in Southern California. Sonny Truelove (Bruce Willis) supplies his son with marijuana, which Johnny distributes to his gang of friends, including Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster). Jake owes Johnny a $1,200 drug debt. Mazursky makes a failed attempt at asking for the money from his stepmother, Olivia (Sharon Stone) and his biological father Butch (David Thornton). Olivia and Butch are dealing with their own problems in the form of their rebellious son Zack Mazursky (Anton Yelchin), Jake's half-brother who admires his older brother. A fight between Jake and Johnny results in an escalating series of retaliations, which culminates in Johnny, Frankie (Justin Timberlake), and Tiko (Fernando Vargas) kidnapping Zack off the side of the road. They intend to hold Zack as collateral until Jake pays his debt.

Wanting a break from his home life, Zack makes little effort to escape. Johnny, meanwhile, pawns Zack off on his right-hand man Frankie, who initially offers him a chance to get away. Zack declines the offer, not wanting to cause any trouble for his brother and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Zack stays with Frankie at his father's house, does chores, and ingratiates himself with Frankie's friends, including Keith Stratten (Chris Marquette), and Julie (Amanda Seyfried), the youngest member of the group. By this point a number of hangers-on and friends of the gang know of Zack's kidnapping, though only Susan (Dominique Swain) seems 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. Instead, Johnny agrees to Frankie's plan to pay Zack to keep his mouth shut. However, after a conversation with his lawyer and threatening phone calls from Jake, Johnny decides the risk of ending up in prison or getting killed is too great to let Zack go. Johnny calls Elvis (Shawn Hatosy) and offers to erase a drug debt if he kills Zack. Meanwhile, at a raucous going-away party, Zack demonstrates his martial arts skills on Frankie, who realizes he could have escaped at any time. Frankie and his friends still believe Zack will be returning home at the end of the night. Zack has a good time, including skinny-dipping with Julie and her friend Alma (Amber Heard) in the pool, leading to the three hooking up. Afterwards, Julie gives Zach her number and Alma gives him a good-bye kiss on the cheek.

Elvis arrives at the hotel where Zack is waiting to be picked up and struggles with Frankie before threatening him with death if he interferes with the hit. Elvis takes Keith to dig a grave while Frankie offers Zack a final opportunity to go home. Believing he is part of the group and will soon return home safely, Zack prefers to wait at the hotel for Elvis to come back. Meanwhile, Sonny, Cosmo (Johnny's godfather), and Johnny's lawyer confront Johnny, who refuses to call off the hit. Frankie, Elvis, Zack, and Keith arrive in at the grave site. 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 a submachine gun, 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 attempts 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 is caught while trying to secure a ride out of L.A. Johnny flees the city and arrives at the house of an old school friend (Lukas Haas). The friend drives him back to his godfather Cosmo's (Harry Dean Stanton) house, where he enters and is not seen again.

Tiko, Frankie, and Keith are arrested. 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.

The interviewer asks Sonny how Johnny was able to escape authorities for four years without help. Sonny assures him that he doesn't know where Johnny is. In 2005, after over five years of being on the America's Most wanted list, Johnny is finally found and arrested in Paraguay. 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	Jesse James Hollywood (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	Johnny's right-man and best friend, who becomes friends with Zack when he is assigned to watch him	Justin Timberlake	Jesse Rugge (sentenced to life in prison, for the kidnapping of Nick Markowitz with the possibility of parole after seven years. His petition for parole was denied in 2006); 20 years old at the time. As of July 2nd, 2013, Jesse Rugge was granted parole.
Elvis Schmidt	Member of the gang and shooter. At the beginning of the story, he is in debt to Johnny.	Shawn Hatosy	Ryan Hoyt (currently on death row at San Quentin for the murder of Nick Markowitz); 21 years old at the time.
Zack Mazursky	Victim	Anton Yelchin	Nicholas "Nick" Markowitz (murdered by Ryan Hoyt, a member of Jesse James Hollywood's crew); 15 when he died. Hollywood has since been tried and convicted for the kidnapping and his role in the murder.
Jake Mazursky	Elder half-brother of victim	Ben Foster	Benjamin "Ben" Markowitz; 22 years old at the time. Served three years in prison for robbery. Since released.
Olivia Mazursky	Mother of victim	Sharon Stone	Susan Markowitz, Nick Markowitz's mother. Authored a book called My Stolen Son: The Nick Markowitz Story.
Keith Stratten	Friend of Frankie who digs Zack's grave and is in the car but not present for the murder	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. Charged with second degree murder (released from the California Youth Authority in 2007).
Susan Hartunian	Friend of Frankie's who is concerned about Zack's well-being	Dominique Swain	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	Member of the gang and drug dealer	Alex Solowitz	Brian Affronti. Joined Hollywood and the crew minutes after they had kidnapped Nick; 20 at the time.
Tiko 'TKO' Martinez	Member of the gang; muscle of the group	Fernando Vargas	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	Johnny's girlfriend, arrested while on the run with him in New Mexico	Olivia Wilde	Michelle Lasher, Hollywood's girlfriend; 19 at the time. Arrested for harboring a fugitive (Hollywood).
Sonny Truelove	Johnny's father and marijuana supplier. Implied he has Mafia connections.	Bruce Willis	John "Jack" Hollywood, Jesse James's father. Arrested in 2005, the same day son Jesse James was captured in Brazil, for manufacturing the illicit narcotic GHB, 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 prison. Since released.
Julie Beckley	Victim's girl	Amanda Seyfried	Jeanine, Nick's girlfriend; 17 at the time.
Pick Giaimo	Associate of the gang whose car was used in the murder	Vincent Kartheiser	Casey Sheehan, Hollywood's friend. His vehicle was used in the murder of Nick Markowitz. Arrested, then bailed out; 20 at the time.
Buzz Fecske	Johnny's childhood friend who drives him back to Los Angeles after he escapes the police in New Mexico	Lukas Haas	Chas Saulsbury, Hollywood's friend. Last met during junior high; tried to help Hollywood get out of the country. Arrested for harboring a fugitive.
Wanda Haynes	Jake's girlfriend, waitress at a steakhouse	Heather Wahlquist	Ben's fiancée.
Cosmo Gadabeeti	Johnny's godfather. Implied he has connections to the Mafia.	Harry Dean Stanton	John Roberts, Hollywood family close friend. His van was used in the kidnapping of Nick Markowitz.
Butch Mazursky	Father of victim	David Thornton	Jeff Markowitz, Nick and Ben Markowitz's father.
Sabrina Pope	Frankie's girlfriend	Charity Shea	Kelly Carpenter (given immunity in exchange for testimony), Rugge's girlfriend; 16 at the time.
Detective Tom Finnegan	Police officer	Holt McCallany	Officer looking for Hollywood; he arrested the crew as well as interviewed witnesses.
Alma	Friend of Julie who hooked up with Zack	Amber Heard
The Interviewer	Media person who interviews witnesses from the start until the end of the film	Matthew Barry

Legal issues

During filming, Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney 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.

Historical accuracy

While the movie does exploit the drug use and marijuana operation of "Johnny Truelove" aka Jesse James Hollywood it does ring true with the actual story. Hollywood, with the help of his father was selling marijuana and he did bring in high school friends to assist with the operation. Ryan Hoyt the basis for the character of "Elvis" was in debt to Hollywood and was described as a "loose cannon" who wanted to impress his friend and stay in his good graces as he owed Hollywood 1000 dollars as portrayed in the movie. He is described as the whipping boy of the group who was constantly insulted and made fun of which the movie accurately portrays. As seen in the beginning of the movie, if you didn't have Hollywood's money you were his servant working off a debt. The group may have also feared Hollywood's father although it is not known if they knew his involvement and to what degree.

Even witnesses who saw Nick Markowitz aka Zack Mazursky felt that while he was being held against his will he was privy to the situation and wanted to stay so not to further cause issue for his older brother Ben Markowitz aka Jake Mazurzky. They even went as far as referring to him as "Stolen Boy". It is believed that the situation started off as a spur of the moment opportunity as they were driving to deal with the debt of Ben and happened to see Nick who was running away from home at the time. Even parents of witnesses who saw the group felt Nick was part of the group and didn't see anything wrong. This has caused some criticism mainly because it was well known to at least 20 or so of the 38 witnesses that he was there not by his own will yet they did not act to help or bring in the authorities. As seen in the movie Hollywood was only present in the early stages of this crime and the party scene where he is seen talking to and assuring Nick may not have actually happened.

There is some debate as to where the idea came from to murder the boy with one side being that Hollywood's lackey aka Ryan Hoyt took it upon himself to handle the situation so he could prove to him his loyalty and commitment. Hollywood was not present for a majority of the crime and it is debated whether or not he made the decision to murder him or dealt with the consequences once it was too late. The movie portrays him as the mastermind with the other boys not making a move without his word. As seen in the movie Hollywood did meet with a lawyer using the cover that his friends had done something and he wanted to know how much trouble they were in. Until that point it is believed that the group were under the impression he would be sent home safely but after the lawyer explained to Hollywood they were looking at life he panicked and decided the kid was a liability.

While the film portrays Ben Markowitz aka Jake Mazursky accurately as one of Hollywood's more violent associates, and the heated falling out the two had, the movie shows Jake Mazursky going on a manhunt for Truelove and threatening him over the phone. In reality, Ben Markowitz was not aware of his brother's kidnapping until after Nicholas was ultimately murdered, thus Jake's fight with the partygoers and the phone call to Johnny was made for the movie.

Reception

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 $15.3 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 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 Yelchin's portrayal of the movie's version of her son. After the screening she embraced Sharon Stone, who played her version in the movie.

Home media

Alpha Dog was released on DVD 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.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack for the film was released by Milan Records on January 9, 2007.

1. "Over the Rainbow" (Eva Cassidy)
2. "Enemy and I" (Lazarus)
3. "Bullet & a Target" (Citizen Cope)
4. "Jake Breaks In" (Paul Bushnell)
5. "Caribou Lou" (Tech N9ne)
6. "Revolving" (Paul Bushnell)
7. "Slither" (Tech N9ne)
8. "Liar" (Miredys Peguero & Paul Graham)
9. "Winner" (Paul Bushnell)
10. "Let's Chill" (Mic Holden, Maya & Reneé Rogers)
11. "Dragonfly" (Miredys Peguero & Paul Bushnell)
12. "LA LA Land" (Tech N9ne feat. Gina Cassavetes)
13. "Pool Party" (Mic Holden)
14. "Never Give Up" (Mic Holden)
15. "At the Site/Driving to the Site"
16. "We Are The Lost" (Lawrence Faljean)
17. "Basketball" (Lowd)
18. "Cookie Monster" (Paul Graham & Paul Bushnell)
19. "Elvis Arrested"
20. "Weightlifting" (Lowd)
21. "Marco Polo" (Lowd & Cassie Simone)
22. "Night and Day" (Tech N9ne)
23. "Say Goodbye Hollywood" (Eminem)