Alpha Dog

Alpha Dog
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nick Cassavetes
Produced by	Sidney Kimmel Paul Ralph
Written by	Nick Cassavetes
Starring	Emile Hirsch Justin Timberlake Ben Foster Shawn Hatosy Anton Yelchin Sharon Stone Bruce Willis Olivia Wilde Amanda Seyfried
Music by	Aaron Zigman
Cinematography	Robert Fraisse
Edited by	Alan Heim
Production company	Sidney Kimmel Entertainment
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	January 27, 2006 (2006-01-27) (Sundance) January 12, 2007 (2007-01-12)
Running time	117 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$32.1 million

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. Starring Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Anton Yelchin, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried with Harry Dean Stanton, Sharon Stone, and Bruce Willis, the film is based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000.

Johnny Truelove is a young marijuana dealer living in Southern California. His father, Sonny, supplies him with marijuana, which Johnny distributes to his gang of friends, including Jake Mazursky, who owes him a $1,200 drug debt. Jake makes a failed attempt at asking his father Butch and stepmother Olivia for the money. Meanwhile, Butch and Olivia are dealing with their rebellious teenage son Zack, who admires his older brother. A fight breaks out between Jake and Johnny when the former tries to pay Johnny only part of his debt. After back and forth retaliation, Johnny and his friends, Frankie and Tiko, go to confront Jake in person, but when they arrive at his house he is nowhere to be found. As they leave, they find Zack walking on the side of the road, and decide to kidnap him with the intent of holding on to him until Jake pays his debt.

Wanting a break from his home life, Zack makes no effort to escape. Johnny pawns Zack off on Frankie, who offers him a chance to leave, but Zack declines, not wanting to cause any problems for his brother. Zack stays with Frankie at his father's house and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. The next day, Zack ingratiates himself with Frankie's friends Keith Stratten, Susan Hartunian, and Julie Beckley, although Susan is the only one who seems concerned.