Alpha Dog

About Alpha Dog

Alpha Dog is a 2007 crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, and released on January 12, 2007. The film is based on the true story of the kidnapping and subsequent events of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz in 2000, and the alleged involvement of Jesse James Hollywood, a young drug dealer in California. The film stars Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin with Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis.

Set in November 1999, (the real events took place in 2000) Alpha Dog tells the story of Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch), a young drug dealer in his hometown of Claremont, California. Despite being only 19 years old, Johnny owns his own house and car. Johnny has a circle of loyal friends, including Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake) and Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy), the latter of whom does household chores for Johnny to pay his debt to him, but is constantly ridiculed by Johnny and Frankie for being spineless. Johnny's father, Sonny Truelove (Bruce Willis), supplies his son with the marijuana which he makes a fortune selling.

Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), one of Johnny's friends and part-time distributors, is shown interrupting dinner to ask his father for money to pay a drug debt ($800). After Jake is denied by his father and stepmother, his 15-year-old half-brother Zach (Anton Yelchin) asks to come along with him, which Jake doesn't allow. Later, at one of his many parties, Johnny meets with Jake Mazursky. When Jake tells Johnny that he has failed to collect a drug debt for him, they fight over the money. The fight culminates in Johnny pulling a pistol on Jake and kicking him out of his house after Mazursky gets the upper hand in the brawl. Jake decides to continue the fight by salting an insurance fraud set up by Johnny and a mutual friend, costing Truelove $30,000. In retaliation, Johnny calls Mazursky's boss, claiming to be Jakes parole officer, and tells the boss that Mazursky has been getting in trouble breaking into houses and using speed. As a result Mazursky loses his job and only other means of income. As an ex-con, Jake's chances of finding another job are slim, and he becomes furious with Johnny. Jake and several armed friends therefore break into and trash Johnny's house and steal his television. Although armed, Johnny does not confront them, instead hiding until they leave.