Alpha Dog

There are some actors that are born to be in the business, and there are times that they aren't given the chance to spread their wings but as soon as they're given the opportunity, they shine beyond anybody's expectations. That's the case here with Justin Timberlake, there is no argument that this young man has a wonderful singing voice, but who would have thought that his acting ability was just as skilled. This is a wonderful character driven film that is based on a true story from the 1990s about Jesse James Hollywood, one of the youngest men to ever be on the FBI's Most Wanted list.
When a young boy is "stolen" off the street by a local drug dealer, and held until his older brother pays back the money he owes, the boy's situation becomes more and more complicated as he meets different people and becomes friends with one of his captors. All of the performances are top notch from every actor that comes onto the screen, with veteran actors like Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone to lead the way, you can see that this young cast stepped up and did their very best. By the end of the film there is one other performance that stands out from the others and that's Stone's role as the grieving mother, tossing vanity out the window she dons a fat suit and heavy makeup and is transformed into a woman who has been totally destroyed by these events in her life. As the film progresses you are left with the feelings that there is going to be some what of an ending that will leave everybody alive, but this is based on real events so the ending isn't a happy one.
This movie has all the makings of a classic drama that can be watched repeated over the years, the characters are rich and the environment is modern enough to capture the interest of the audience. I was amazed at the acting skills of Timberlake and I would be interested in seeing him continue with an acting career that may take him in a direction that he never realized he could go in. This is definitely a movie to be seen, its full of high energy and once the story starts you are just drawn in and you can't help but be captivated by the characters and the situation.