ALPHA DOG

Year: 2006
USA: Universal Pictures
UK: Icon Film Distribution
Cast: Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Emile Hirsch, Christopher Marquette, Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Willis, Harry Dean Stanton, David Thornton, Lukas Haas, Alex Kingston, Adrianna Belan, Holt McCallany, Fernando Vargas, Vincent Kartheiser, Matthew Barry, Alex Solowitz, Alec Vigil, Frank Cassavetes, Nicole Dubos, Regina Rice, Laura Nativo
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Country: USA
USA & UK: 117 mins
USA Rated: R for pervasive drug use and language, strong violence, sexuality and nudity
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language, violence, sex and drug use
USA Release Date: 12 January 2007
UK Release Date: 20 April 2007

Synopsis

In the sprawling, privileged neighborhoods around L.A., bored teenagers with too much time and too much money string one hazy day into another, looking for the next thrill... and in the hot California summer six years ago, something did.

Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) controls the drugs on the well-manicured streets of his turf. Where Johnny goes, the party, the girls, and his loyal gang follow. When he's double-crossed over missing deal money by raging hothead Jake (Ben Foster), Johnny and his gang impulsively kidnap Jake's little brother, Zack (Anton Yelchin), holding him as a marker and heading to Palm Springs. With no parents in sight, they grow used to having the kid around, and Zack enjoys an illicit summer fantasy of drinking, girls and new experiences.

Out in the desert, Johnny and his boys lose sight that the kid is a hostage who can't just be neatly returned. As the days tick by, the options of how to get themselves out of their situation start to disappear. Good times turn bad and bad turns worse as Johnny finds himself out of his league with no idea how to fix it...leading all these players toward a shocking conclusion they never saw coming.

Inspired by true events, ALPHA DOG follows three fateful days when the lives of a group of Southern California teens suddenly dead-ended. The film features a powerful ensemble cast including Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Emile Hirsch, Christopher Marquette, Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin and Bruce Willis and is written and directed by Nick Cassavetes.