Alpha Dog (Warning: Spoilers & Long)

[DarkDante]

Alright I went to see the film "Alpha Dog" this evening and as promised I wanted to offer up my thoughts on it since it relates to a case we've all discussed quite a bit here. I do want to say before I begin it is nearly 1 AM as I write this and I'm kind of sleepy but I at least wanted to give you my inital impressions on the film.

"Alpha Dog" for those of you that don't know is based on the story of Jesse James Hollywood and Nick Markowitz which was profiled in 2001 on "Unsolved Mysteries". The basic gist of the story is that Nick's brother Ben owed Jesse some money in a drug transaction and when he refused to ante up, Jesse kidnapped his brother and held him as a marker. When Jesse found out that if he released Nick and Nick's parents decided to press charges against him for kidnapping (which would likely result in jail time for Jesse) he decided to offer a friend of his named Ryan Hoyt money to kill Nick. The only problem for Jesse and his friends is after Nick was murdered they didn't hide the body all that well and within days Nick's murder was front page news.

Jesse's friends (William Skidmore, Ryan Hoyt, Jesse Rugge and Graham Priestly) were all prosecuted for the crime and given various sentences with the triggerman Hoyt currently sitting on death row. It took authorities five years to locate the alpha dog himself Jesse James Hollywood who was hiding in South America while being funneled funds by his father. Jesse James is now awaiting trial where if he is convicted he could face the death penalty.

THE FILM

Alright first off if there is one word to describe this film it would be disturbing. There are parts of this film that really draw upon raw human emotion between what is essentially a bunch of kids none of which really could be called cold-blooded killers. The film opens up with what we believe are grainy home movies of Johnny Truelove (Jesse James Hollywood), Zack Mazursky (Nick Markowitz), Jake Mazursky (Ben Markowitz) and company basically showing that these were suburban kids who grew up not unlike most other kids in America.

They then juxtapose the two radically different worlds of the somewhat conservative Mazursky especially harping on the uptight and anal Olivia Mazursky (I'm sure Susan Markowitz loved seeing herself portrayed this way) and the carefree party lifestyle of Johnny Truelove and his "lost boys" posse.

We find that Jake Mazursky sort of straddles these two worlds. He is in deep with Johnny and his pals but always looks to his dad and step-mother to bail him out when he gets in trouble. Finally they tell him that they aren't going to bail him out any longer and kick him out of the house. However Jake's younger brother Zack is fascinated with his brother's freewheeling lifestyle A few hours later Zack is seen commiserating with his brother over a healthy amount of booze and weed. Zack says he's tired of living under his parents roof and with his parents rules and is considering running away.

The next morning Zack's parents discover a bong in his room and confront him about it. Instead of facing the music he escapes from his bedroom window and goes for a jog.

Around the same time Jake and Truelove have a falling over Jake not being able to hold up his end of the bargain in a drug transaction. (this is actually true: Ben Markowitz NEVER owed Jesse money for drugs but instead got Jesse involved in a drug transaction which ended up being for bunk pills. This left Jesse out $1,200) Truelove attempts to shake Jake down for the money but realizes this is a big mistake as Jake nearly kills him and most of his posse.

Over the next few weeks the two young men engage in a serious of pranks ranging from the juvenile to the more serious nature culminating in Jake arriving at Truelove's home and tearing it to pieces. It should be noted at this point that the actor portraying Jake (Ben Foster) portrays the "Ben Markowitz" character to a tee stradding the line between bad ass and hyperactive and nervous junkie.

Truelove at this point realizes he is over his head and believes that Jake is going to try to kill him. He realizes that discretion may be the better part of valor and decides to leave town with his friends Tiko "TKO" Martinez (William Skidmore) and Frankie Ballenbacher (Jesse Rugge). On the way out of town they spot Zack jogging on the side of the road and in a snap decision decide to abduct him.

They take him with them to Santa Barbara where they attempt to restrain him. There are some funny bits in the film around this part which show how clueless the posse is about basically all matters requiring anything more than basic thought. Truelove and Ballenbacher as much as I hate to admit it come off very much as clueless and sometimes loveable fools who have no idea how much trouble they are in, in kidnapping Zack. Eventually Truelove (who is having a meltdown after realizing that his decision to abduct Zack wasn't exactly bright) decides to leave Zack in the custody of Ballenbacher.

The rest of the film is basically about the relationship between Zack and Ballenbacher. Over the next few days they develop a friendship and almost a strange younger brother/older brother relationship. While his parents are going crazy trying to find their son, Zack is spending the weekend at Ballenbacher's posh home in Santa Barbara where he meets several of Ballenbacher's girlfriends as well as Pick Giamo (Graham Priestly). He also helps Ballenbacher tend to his father's huge marijuana crop literally growing in the backyard next to the swimming pool. In case you are wondering the reason why the parents in this film turn a blind eye to their kids' drug activity is is because the parents from Ballenbacher's to Truelove's are all junkies themselves.

The most tragic part of this film is the relationship between Ballenbacher and Zack. As the film goes on it becomes obvious that Ballenbacher treats Zach with more respect than either his brother or his parents do. In a hilarious part of the film when another druggie welches on a deal with Ballenbacher, Zack offers to "take care of the problem" for Ballenbacher. When Ballenbacher scoffs at the fifteen year old's offer Zack informs him that he is a black belt in karate and then proceeds to take him down in some brief rough housing. Over the course of the weekend Ballenbacher offers Zack several chances to escape though Zack refuses out of loyalty to his brother and wants to "ride out the storm". When several other guests realize that Zack is indeed a hostage Ballenbacher assures them that the whole thing is a "big joke" and they are gonna get Zack home as soon as possible. This "blown out of proportion" farce is repeated several times during the film through several of the characters as nobody wants to accept how dire the situation is becoming

Throughtout the next few days there is more partying at both Ballenbacher's and a local motel. Zack is instantly taken by all of the beautiful women at these parties several of whom are attracted to him. At one point, Truelove shows up and apologizes to Zack to kidnapping him saying "this thing has gotten real messed up". He promises to work something out with his brother and get him home the next day.

This is the first spot where the film deviates from the actual story (or at least what we know of it) because Truelove does hold up his promise to Zack and calls Jake the next day to attempt to negoitate Zack's return. But Jake doesn't want to hear any of it and threatens Truelove that if he sees him again, he will kill him. Truelove then makes the fateful call to his attorney where he learns the stiff penalty for kidnapping.

He then informs Ballenbacher of this and tries to convince his buddy to kill Zack. Ballenbacher who has grown quite fond of Zach refuses and even Truelove admits its a far out idea and they go through several other methods of returning Zack including paying off the boy to keep his mouth shut.

However Truelove realizes that even if he could avoid legal hassles in the matter he's still scared to death that Jake is going to kill him if he tries to return Zack. To this end he contacts Elvis Schmidt (Ryan Hoyt) who throughout the film is treated more like flunky than friend by the posse because he also owes Truelove a large drug debt. Truelove offers to erase Elvis' debt if he kills Zack. Elvis agrees and a few hours later shows up at the hotel where Ballenbacher and Zack are watching tv together.

He calls Ballenbacher outside and tries to convince him to help him murder Zack. Ballenbacher refuses saying he wants no part of a murder and why don't they just return Zack without Truelove knowing anything about it. Elvis explains to him the entire chain of events surrounding the problem of returning the boy. Ballenbacher then realizes the horrible situation they are all in. Even if they did return Zack, being that they were in the van and assisted in the kidnapping they too would be as libel as Truelove in the crime. In addition by this point the entire posse is in fear of Jake Mazursky and if they betray Truelove, they are not so much afraid of him as they are of his mafia connected father Sonny.

Around this same time Sonny Truelove finds out that his son has ordered a hit on Zack and begs his son to call the hit off. It is at this point that reality finally hits Johnny Truelove and he realizes what if fact he has just told Elvis and company to do to Zack. He considers calling the hit off but is still fearful of going to jail over the kidnapping charge.

So that night Elvis, Ballenbacher and Pick Giamo drive Zack up to a remote mountain area where they plan to kill him. They tell Zack they are taking him to the mountains where they are going to meet a man who is going to bring him home. On the way, Zach tells the posse that that he considers them and especially Ballenbacher to be "his brothers" and they don't have to worry about him ratting them out because he is going to smooth everything over for them with his parents. He also regrets his conflicts with his mom who he refers to as his "best friend".

Ballenbacher, Elvis and Giamo lead Zack up the mountains to a grave site that Giamo has previously dug. As they walk up the mountains Zack notices that Giamo has begun to weep and asks his friend why he is crying. Instead of responding Giamo runs down the mountain and back to the car sobbing.

Upon seeing his gravesite Zack finally realizes that his new friends have no intention on returning him. He begs with them to spare his life and is is apparent that both Ballenbacher and Elvis want to but neither of them has the guts to make a stand or chicken out in front of the other. Ballenbacher bounds Zack's hands and eyes with tape all the while still promising him that everything is going to turn out the right way and that he considers Zack a close friend. Almost unexpectedly Elvis hits Zack with a shovel knocking him out. He draws his gun and although he hesitates finally does murder Zack. After the murder both panic realzing what they have just done.

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REACTION:

The rest of the film basically follows what we all know about Jesse James Hollywood as far as the arrests are concerned. It also covers briefly Susan Markowitz's attempt to commit suicide in the wake of her son's murder.

I said earlier the one word that should be used to describe this film is distrubing which is true. But the one word to describe the events is: Realization.

The realization in all cases is knowledge coming to late which resulted in tragedy. Truelove's realization that the impulsive kidnapping of Zack carried a stiff penalty one that he did not take into consideration. Zack's realization that he was in far more trouble then he originally thought and finally Ballenbacher and Elvis' realization about the crime they had committed which prior to doing it seemed like a big abstract to them.

The other theme that runs throughout this film is a breakdown of communication. If you buy into what the film says it becomes apparent that Zack/Nick was murdered in many cases because of a breakdown of communication.

There was a breakdown of communication between Zack and his parents over his drug use and the parents inability to confront him on it or know how to confront him on it. There is a breakdown of communication between Jake and Truelove where you essentially have two friends who let money and drugs come between them to the point where they could not have an honest conversation about returning Zack.

There was a breakdown of communication between members of the posse itself. This is essential to understanding Zack/Nick's murder. Everybody in the posse wanted to be percieved as a bad ass by the other members. Elvis is treated like a flunkie because he owes truelove money and wants to get back into his good graces so he can be treated like a friend again. Truelove wants everyone to believe he is the "Alpha Dog" badass but himself realizes that anyone of his friends could probably best him in a fight.

But nobody attempts to shove Truelove on his ass because everyone wants to keep him around because of his drug connections. Everyone is legitimately scared of Jake and Jake has isolated himself so much from his former friends that he is ineffective in trying to negotiate his brother's return. The tragedy in this is a naive kid is dropped into the middle of all this and believes that these people who are all jockeying for position within their clique are actually his friends and have his best interests at heart. He legitimately likes them all (especially Ballenbacher) and is stunned when they lead him up the mountain to his death.

The tragic flaw in all this is if one person actually let their guard down for a minute and stood up and said "What we are doing here isn't the best idea or I won't go along with this" and stuck to their guns then maybe the tragedy could've be avoided. But nobody does. It is also important to mention all the witnesses to the crime which hovers around thirty when all is said and done who don't intercede on Zack/Nick's behalf choosing to mind their own business.

So in the end its really a story of betrayal. You have the betrayal between these former friends Truelove and Jake over drugs. You have sort of society's betrayal of Zack by nobody reporting the crime that was in progress or interceding on his behalf and finally you have this younger brother-older brother relationship between Zack and Ballenbacher which develops throughout the film which in yhe end could only be seen as a betrayal of Zack by Ballenbacher.


*sigh* Thats all. For those of you who made it through this entire thing, I hope you enjoyed it

[PrettyinPink55]

I REALLY want to see this movie!!

[crystaldawn]

I actually have no interest in seeing this movie but was curious as to the plot and all so thanks DD for your review.

[SitcomsAreTheWay]

I truly believe that having made this film feeds Jesse James Hollywood's arrogance. This is all he needed to start walking around prison thinking he's made it. As if he has some type of legacy in which has been engraved in stone.

I always wonder that when films are made about criminals, are they being glorified or does it have more to do with personal spite and they're deserving of being put out there as the NJ's they really are.

[LooksLikeCRicci]

I would like to see this movie as well, mainly due to the fact that Justin Timberlake's performance has been highly praised. I am also curious to see the interpretation that Hollywood studios have given this movie. I appreciated DD's synopsis of the movie and am looking forward to seeing it. However.... it is not playing in my area. Guess I may have to wait for video.

[DarkDante]

I just want to say a little bit more about this film/case because its rapidly becoming one of my top favorites of the cases that were profiled on the show. As many of you might remember when JJH was on the run, few people were more vocal on this board in wanting to see that little bastard captured then I was and I was/am still very relieved that he is no longer "out there" walking the streets and will have to face up to what he did in a court of law someday.

I remember when he was captured his lawyer saying something like "The press has spun it that JJH was a criminal mastermind but that is not true" and I scoffed at it probably because lets face it we all know and accept that JJH is a criminal and did mastermind this plot to kill Nick Markowitz.

The problem is since then, in researching the case (and now seeing the film) I've realized that the main story that out there on this case and indeed the one that UM tells isn't very accurate at all in the events that happened. The results are the same but the situations that set them into motion aren't.

The "Alpha Dog" film deals a great deal with good and evil and while the roles of good and evil are very much defined in the UM segment, in real life they were probably less so or at least initally. If you research this case you will find that all of the proponents in this whole saga play a very "grey area" with the exception of Ben Markowitz who is certainly a "bad guy". Nick Markowitz is basically your average teenager who while basically a good kid has grown antsy living under his parents somewhat conservative rules.

He seeks refuge in his brother Ben's life of freewheeling drugs and women and as with most fourteen year olds the first blast/rush of this must have been quite intoxicating given his somewhat sheltered lifestyle. So even before Nick Markowitz even encountered JJH he was taken with the drugs, the women and that type of fast lifestyle. Thats not knocking Nick or disrespecting him but is simply the truth.

The worst thing that someone can do who is going to see this film in my opinion is to allow JJH and his friends to be damned in their eyes because of their drug involvement. Yes these kids were druggies but that didn't automatically make them murderers. They became murderers when they killed Nick Markowitz but that doesn't happen until a good two hours into the film.

In fact the film's portrayal of JJH is probably far more accurate then the UM portrayal of him as sort of the "don of this teenage mafia". In the film JJH and his posse all want to be "tough guys" but have no clue how. The only window they have into gangsta life is from the music videos which they are constantly watching on MTV. While they watch these gangsta videos they are constantly berating the rappers for being "posers" with the irony being that whenever JJH and his posse are confronted with a real violent person (such as Ben Markowitz) they all cower in fear or turn tail and run.

I know some people have said this film is sort of sympathetic to JJH or glorifies his lifestyle but the fact of the matter is that in everyday life which this film represents a three day window in the life of these kids, most people tend to play a grey area. JJH, Nick Markowitz, Ryan Hoyt, Jesse Rugge etc all played a very grey area during that weekend where nobody really made the most obvious wise decision to bring this situation they were all in to a positive close.

The thing that this whole chain of events turns on is when JJH decided to order the hit on Nick Markowitz thereby casting the dye for everyone involved in this situation. I reported earlier that in real life, JJH never tried to call off the hit: I was mistaken in that remark as JJH did call off the hit on Nick Markowitz but Ryan Hoyt never recieved the page or at least didn't recieve it in time to prevent the murder.

Don't get me wrong I am no means sympathizing with JJH or his crew. They all had opportunities to "do the right thing" here and chose their paths and destinies. I also do believe that JJH while not the criminal mastermind I once considered him to be, instead made a very stupid and selfish decision. I believe that one day JJH will die for that decision because the prosecutor is going to line up Hoyt, Rugge, Priestly etc and all of them are going to point to JJH.

The point I'm trying to make here is if you see this film, despite what you know about the case I would strongly reccomend you not letting JJH and his posse be initally damned in your eyes because of their rogue lifestyle. In my opinion JJH becomes damned in my eyes when he orders the hit on Markowitz which not only took Markowitz's life but also showed a great deal of a lack of consideration for all of his friends who trusted him by getting them all involved in the plot.

PS: Here is a relevant link on this case which deals with a book that of this writing has yet to be published. While its a little too sympathetic to JJH for my tastes, its probably one of the more accurate reading on the case then what you saw on UM.

http://www.filmstew.com/ShowArticle....ontentID=13899

[Mr. Fuji]

Hey Dante. I just got back from watching the movie myself, and I absolutely loved it. I thought that the acting was absolutely brilliant. The two performances that stuck out to me were Justin Timberlake's and Anton Yelchin's (Yelchin played Nicholas Markowitz). The final scene where Timberlake was taping up Yelchin was pretty darn riveting and hard to watch.

For some reason, though, I don't remember Benjamin Markowitz looking or acting anything like the guy who plays him in the movie. In the movie, he's a violent neo-Nazi character who stands up to Hollywood and everyone else that gets in his way, but in the UM segment I thought I remember him being a little punk who really didn't have a clue what he had gotten himself into (probably because he was as dumb as a doornail more than anything else). Is my memory foggy?

Anyways, I definitely recommend this movie to anyone, especially if you've seen the UM segment. It was one of the best I've seen in a long time.

[DarkDante]

Well the UM segment portrayed Ben Markowitz wrong because the purpose of the UM segment was to portray Jesse James as much of a badass as possible so that the viewer would sympathize as much as possible with the Markowitz family and get this guy off the streets. In reality this wasn't true. Jesse James and his crew wanted everyone to think they were "tough guys" but Ben Markowitz actually was. I think I've read several places that he had been in more than his fair share of brawls and gang related incidents and also was a black belt in several forms of the martial arts.

So there is no doubt in my mind that in a fight, Ben Markowitz could've destroyed Jesse James or anyone in his crew who only knew of gang life from what they saw in the music videos as portrayed in the film.

Like i said in my commentary above in watching the film, the Ben Markowitz character (who is portrayed brillantly by Ben Foster) is the only person who at least initally can be seen as a "bad guy". Jesse James and his crew want to be "bad guys" or "tough guys" but Jesse James doesn't really turn until the end of the film when he orders the hit. Throughout the film almost everyone except Ben play a very grey area.

A few final words on Ben Markowitz (the real person) during the filming of the segment, Ben was in jail for some drug related offense and may have tried to be as vague as possible with the events that led to his bro's death as not to implicate himself in anymore drug related activity. I just read an article today that apparently states Ben is out of jail and has finally gone straight and is married and with a young son. Take that for what its worth.

[dynoguy88]

I wonder if Hollywood's father was ever punished for forwarding the money to Jesse while he was on the run. In fact, long before Jesse was captured, the police and most of the town suspected that his father was probably helping him hide.

Surely he must face some sort of jail time for that... I hope.

[Ireneparalegal]

The mother of the victim, seen the film prior to its being released. She gave it her approval, which to me is important, seeing that this crime occurred here in our county. It was horrific reading abt this crime, especially since the victim came from an area that is considered "one of the safest to live in", however, this proves that drugs and crime will infiltrate "white bread America" if given the opportunity. And in this case, it resulted in the murder of an innocent young man. It was and still remains one of those crimes that will remain in infamy here.

[SiberianKiss]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

I wonder if Hollywood's father was ever punished for forwarding the money to Jesse while he was on the run. In fact, long before Jesse was captured, the police and most of the town suspected that his father was probably helping him hide.

Surely he must face some sort of jail time for that... I hope.

Why? Wouldn't you do the same for your son? What do people have against JJH's dad?

[DarkDante]

Because it is heavily rumored that Jesse's dad Jack Hollywood was Jesse's source for all of his marijuana connections and has links to organized crime. He was actually arrested on the same day that JJH was captured on an unrelated drug charge but the authorities couldn't build a strong enough case against Jack at the time so it was dropped.

I agree with you that a parents' love for their child is almost always unconditional and a good percentage of parents would have done as Jack Hollywood did for his son in helping him escape the country and supporting him while he was on the lam. But now that JJH is captured, Jack Hollywood will probably face charges of aiding and abetting a fugitive.

In fact JJH's uncle who provided shelter for Jesse James during his first few days on the lam, later lost his job and his coaching position at a local high school when it was discovered that he aided the felon. So whether or not anybody has anything against Jack Hollywood he is probably going to have to answer for his actions at some point down the line in some manner.

[SiberianKiss]

....

[DarkDante]

Yeah I basically agree with most of what you said and hold the same viewpoints you do regarding drug dealers. But your original question is "What do people have against Jack Hollywood" and its basically his alleged involvement in this whole thing from top to bottom and now with the film out that portrays him in pretty much a negative light, I doubt he is going ever illicit much sympathy from people who follow this case.

But its pretty much moot in my mind to conjecture what is going to happen to Jack Hollywood in the future or for that matter JJH as everyone has an opinion on this. I guess time will tell.

[Ireneparalegal]

It was because of drugs that eventually caused the murder of the boy, so, equating drugs and/or drug dealers as some sort of victimless crime is incredulous.