Alpha Dog
Alpha Dog Image
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Metascore
53 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.8 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 73 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake
  • Summary: Versatile filmmaker Nick Cassavetes directs an impressive group of both young and veteran performers in Alpha Dog, inspired by actual events, a film that follows three fateful days when the lives of a group of Southern California teens suddenly dead-ended. (Universal)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    80
    In his best film to date, Nick Cassavetes directs with ferocious energy, taking scenes past their logical stopping points and pushing his actors (particularly Foster, who can be as terrifying as Edward Norton in "American History X") to, but never over, the precipice of absurdity.
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Olly Richards
    60
    It suffers from ADD, but there's some terrific stuff in here. Leaving 15 minutes from the end and saving yourself a lumbering coda may improve enjoyment.
  3. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Pete Vonder Haar
    60
    Your enjoyment of Alpha Dog may very well depend on how put off you are by these facts, as well as how much you buy Timberlake in his role, and how in the mood you are to sit through "River’s Edge" set in the "Entourage" universe.
  4. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    25
    Its main feature is incessant, unimaginative profanity...Take out the cursing, and you're left with a plebeian drama about angry, aimless potheads, sloppily directed by the man who wrote it.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 33
  3. Negative: 12 out of 33
  1. Axon
    10
    I'm absolutely against violence, but the rage of Ben Fosters character spoke to me. I found a sincerity in the acting that I wont forget. This is one of my favorite movies; primarily due to the base emotions it elicited in me. It's not for everyone, but if you feel this movie is for you I highly recommend it.… Expand
  2. PaulR.
    8
    I can't believe all the negative reviews. I thought the movie was very good! The acting was great, even from Timberlake. Sad ending, but I read the MSNBC story, so I knew it was coming.… Expand
  3. grandpajoe6191
    6
    The movie's cast is seriously spoiled. But despite these obstacles, "Alpha Dog" does a pretty good job maneuvering itself chronologically till the end.… Expand
  4. ChristopherW.
    4
    Anton Yelchin and Justin Timberlake provide the way inside this film. Virtually every character in 'Alpha Dog' is despicable and unsympathetic, but there is something emotionally honest and somewhat purposeful that develops out of the most unlikely of friendships between Yelchin and Timberlake. I really think Timberlake played his cards right in this one. If not for this pairing, the film would have remained utterly bereft of focus and empathy. Despite its many artistic flaws, the tragic ending does indeed seem, well, tragic...and emerges as the heart piece in this cold depressing film.… Expand

See all 33 User Reviews

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