Hollywood Ending: 'Alpha Dog'
To be young, cunning, good looking and wanted. Isn't that most of what we yearn for at age 20? For Johnny Truelove (real name: Jesse James Hollywood) the answer would be a declarative yes. But then, on second thought, it might also be a resounding no. He was certainly wanted-and by the FBI no less-which feeds into the conundrum of this creature, this cunning little sociopath who basked in his Alpha status over a pack of wild, desperate, teenage dogs but who was clearly reckless enough to misunderstand the concept of witnesses. In short, Nick Cassavetes couldn't have picked a better title for his big screen examination of young Hollywood, fictionalized here as young Truelove.
Alpha Dog recounts the true life saga of Jesse James Hollywood, an alarmingly persuasive young man who in 2000 led the kidnapping and finally, murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz. Markowitz was a shy boy from the San Fernando Valley whose older half-brother owed Hollywood the relatively meager sum of $1,250. Chump change to a guy who could afford a $200,000 home at 20. But that's not the craziest part of the crime. What's most tragic and ridiculous and then understandable given how he was soon treated, Markowitz, terrified at first, eventually grew comfortable with his captors and enjoyed the nonstop partying that seemed to take off whenever he was near. Dubbed "The Stolen Boy" by the So Cal kids who hung in Hollywood's circle, he had no idea what really awaited him. Offed by one of Hollywood's cronies, while another watched, the "party" met with a violent (and to any rational person's mind), insanely stupid end. Four teens were charged with the murder, including Hollywood, who made a dramatic escape to Brazil where he was arrested in 2005. He still awaits trial.
In the meantime, Alpha Dog was made, a meticulously researched film that changes the names, but very few of the details. Cassavetes was given access to leaked files by the case's prosecutor (who was removed due to the privilege), and reconstructs the case with a style that's both intensely focused and nervously loose. It's one of the film's greatest achievements-you know exactly what's going to happen and yet you feel tense and filled with a particular kind of dread. All of these kids are so damn unlikable (really, you dislike them so much it's almost hard to endure their stupidity) and yet you're filled with this despair.
Part of that also lies in the film's performances. Emile Hirsch, an actor of impressive range (watch his powerful turns in Lords of Dogtown and The Mudge Boy and you'll see what I mean) is almost detestable as Truelove, somewhat charming but mostly just an obnoxious bully with a Napoleon complex. He holds sway over the affluent So-Cal kids he calls his "boys," chiefly his dim witted slave Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy) who will end up pulling the trigger and Frankie Ballenbacher (a wonderfully natural Justin Timberlake), a macho pseudo bad boy with a conscience. Frankie comes to like their hostage, Zack (played by a wide-eyed Anton Yelchin), and will try to talk Truelove out of killing him. He's obviously not successful and, even worse, is present at the shooting.
Why? Cassavetes, who also wrote the story, never really answers that question (how could he?) and instead throws out the usual culprits from questionable parenting to drugs to the unreality of music videos, but the cues are just out there, the ever-present sea these fishy kids swim in. What's more relevant is that Cassavetes never glamorizes the well off punks, but he doesn't demonize them either. The picture presents them how they probably appeared--stoned, loud and kind of stupid. And also, maybe so out of touch with the true seriousness of the situation that they went along with the plan because, well, the kid looked like he was having a good time and you know how things can get a little out of hand sometimes...
And therein lies the film's horror and curiosity. That the young victim was probably enjoying himself enough to trust his murderers. That being held hostage was such a memorable experience. That he may have even felt like he was in some crime story movie of his life. And that Truelove would give him such a, quite literally, Hollywood ending.
