I consider myself somewhat up on movies.
So when I sat down to watch Alpha Dog I was shocked by how good this movie was.
I hadn't even heard of this movie before and I never would've dreamed that anything with Justin Timberlake in it could be any good.
In fact, if this movie didn't also star Emile Hirsch and claim to star Bruce Willis then I wouldn't even have given it a sniff.
But I'm glad I did because, as I already said, this was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.
Now, this movie isn't for kids.
There is a ton of bad language and some nudity and sex thrown in besides.
But for everyone 17 and over this is a must-see.
Alpha Dog is actually based on a true story.
It's about a group of kids, the leader of which is a drug dealer (Johnny Truelove played by Hirsch), who kidnap a teenager (Zack Mazursky played by Anton Yelchin) in order to try to get Zack's deadbeat brother (Jake played by Ben Foster) to payback some money.
After the kidnapping, Timberlake's character, Frankie, watches the kid and befriends him.
Zack gets along great with Frankie and his friends and even gets to hook-up with 2 girls in a pool.
However, when Johnny realizes how much trouble they can get into for kidnapping and when Jake refuses to pay the money, things quickly turn bad.
This movie will suck you right in and not let go of your until the shocking end.
Even now, after watching it 3 times, I feel like running to my TiVo and plugging my face into the movie one more time.
Sure, Bruce Willis wasn't in the movie very much.
But I was happy to see Sharon Stone playing the role of Zack's mom.
And I loved the performances turned in by Hirsch (quickly becoming one of my favorite actors), Timberlake (yes I have a new found respect for him), and Yelchin.
Anyone with a pulse has to be blown away by one of the final scenes in the movie when Timberlake and Yelchin show more raw emotion than I've seen in a movie in a long time.
So if you're looking for a little known movie that is packed with power, watch Alpha Dog, it will blow you away.