Alpha Dog

Year: 2006

Grade: C+

Country: USA

Director: Cassavetes

Review

emile hirsch isn’t a very good actor so why anyone thought he could go from the average boy next door in one movie (“girl next door”) to a major drug dealing kingpin in another (“alpha dog”), is beyond me. not only is he a bad actor, but he’s 5’7″ and, even with facial hair and a turned back baseball cap, doesn’t look imposing in the least. justin timberlake is actually better here than hirsch. timberlake’s performance is awful when he tries to look tough and decent when (in the second half of the film) he appears more vulnerable. the film has a lot of performance problems and some questionable stylistic choices as well. that said, the final act of the film, though it does drag a bit at the very last punctuation mark, saves the film from failure. it’s derivative of bully and kids and often lacks the realism that kids had, but it occasionally succeeds so….

Watched in theater