History Film / AlphaDog

* HateSink: Johnny is a rare example of the main character being this, being the most unlikable of the main characters by far. He's arrogant, violent, rude, abusive, manipulative, and, oh yeah, he organized the '''murder''' of a ''[[WouldHurtAChild 15-year-old boy]]''. When he gets arrested at the end of the movie and has the possibility of getting the death penalty if found guilty, you're not gonna feel sorry for him.

** When the [[OneSaneMan one sane woman]] tries to talk to her mother about the kidnapping she gets blown off, as her mother is only interested in having drug-fueled sex for her anniversary.

* HypocriticalHumor: The guys don't like gangsta rappers and joke when seeing a rap video, "The only thing these guys are 'shooting' is music videos," [[YouAreWhatYouHate even though they act exactly like them.]]

* KarmaHoudini: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Johnny looks like he has escaped capture for his crimes until an epilogue informs us that he was captured and faces the death penalty if found guilty (See RippedFromTheHeadlines below.)

** This seems unfair considering he was a 15 year old kidnapped by 20 year old kids that he would have loved to hang out with anyway. They mostly like him too, so how would we begin to understand how much danger he was in?

*** Even dumber for Johnny, his father (and likely other family and maybe their lawyer) knows Johnny ordered [[spoiler:murdering Zack killed, and his father pleads with him to call off the hit. Johnny refuses, claiming his gang is such a bunch of fuck ups that Zack is probably already free.]] He seems to literally be putting faith in his criminal partners being idiots.

*** Even dumber for Johnny, his father (and likely other family and maybe their lawyer) knows Johnny ordered [[spoiler:murdering Zack killed, and his father pleads with him to call off the hit. Johnny refuses, claiming his gang is such a bunch of fuck ups that Zack is probably already free. He seems to literally be putting faith in his criminal partners being idiots. ]].

** [[spoiler:However, assuming what happened to the RealLife criminals also applied to their film counterparts, this would mean that Frankie would be paroled in 2013 and that Truelove never got the death penalty but is still serving life without parole. So while downplayed, this may somewhat be in effect.]]

** At one point, Frankie actually offers Zack a chance to be free from his captivity and go home, but Zack, not wanting to exacerbate the situation for his brother, [[IChooseToStay chooses to stay]] [[spoiler:ultimately leading to his death a couple of days later]].

** Johnny is told he'd possibly get a light sentence of two years (as opposed to 25-to-life imprisonment) by his lawyer and his dad if he turns himself in and calls off [[spoiler:the hit on Zack]] and they came really close to making him do it, but Johnny resists and [[spoiler:Zack is murdered]].

* AnachronismStew: An Xbox was shown even though the console wasn't widely available until 2001, and the film (based on a crime that occurred in August 2000) takes place in late 1999.

* TheNineties: Set in 1999 (even though Markowitz's murder happened in August of 2000). Zack at one point is even watching the first ''Film/AustinPowers'' movie (1997).

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: And an extra scene was filmed and added to the end when [[spoiler:Jesse James Hollywood (the real-life criminal in which the character of Johnny Truelove is based on) was arrested]] in real life.

** Johnny is told he'd possibly get a light sentence (as opposed to life imprisonment) by his lawyer and his dad if he turns himself in and calls off [[spoiler:the hit on Zack]] and they came really close to making him do it, but Johnny resists and [[spoiler:Zack is murdered]].

** A case might also be made for anyone in Johnny's gang thinking [[spoiler:murdering Zack]] would alleviate their situation and that they wouldn't get caught and eventually receive capital punishment for it. This is especially considering there are '''38 witnesses''' to this. Johnny is even given an offer by his lawyer to possibly serve minimum time to return Zack safely and plead guilty, but chooses not to simply for not wanting to do any jail time at all.

** A case might also be made for anyone in Johnny's gang thinking [[spoiler:murdering Zack]] would alleviate their situation and that they wouldn't get caught and eventually receive capital punishment for it. This is especially considering there are '''38 total witnesses''' to this. Johnny is even given an offer by his lawyer to possibly serve minimum time to return Zack safely and plead guilty, but chooses not to simply for not wanting to do any jail time at all.

* KnightTemplarBigBrother: When Jake learns that Johnny has kidnapped his little brother to get back at Jake, he promises his estranged stepmom that he will do anything to get Zack back. Jake immediately goes on a rampage, crashes a local house party held by some of Truelove's friends by beating up half the people in the room and when Truelove calls him up, Jake threatens Truelove with enacting brutal and painful vengeance unless he releases Zack. Subverted, however, as it doesn't help Zack's return at all and prompts Truelove to relocate with his victim.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Most of the wannabe criminals in Truelove's crew have girlfriends or family members they care about. Tiko is even arrested watching television ''with his whole family'' when the police break down the door, and Truelove is celebrating his girlfriend's birthday during [[spoiler:Zack's murder.]]

* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: When Susan learns that Zack has been kidnapped, she immediately begins panicking and trying to make everyone understand how serious it is. Everyone else, ''including'' Zack, look at her like she's crazy, and go on hanging out like nothing's happened. Eventually, she also finds out about Zack's death in the news and pretty much rats out the Truelove gang to the police

* TooDumbToLive: At least as depicted in this movie, [[spoiler:Zack taking his own kidnapping so lightly no doubt contributed to his death. [[JustifiedTrope It's seemingly justified]] because he is, after all, ''still a kid'' who sees the lifestyle of Truelove's friends as exciting, not understanding the real gravity of the situation.]]

* AdaptationalNameChange: All the characters have different names from the RealLife people involved in the events its based on. That didn't stop the real

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Nicholas_Markowitz Oh God, yes it was]]...

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Zack is killed at the end of his kidnapping and Johnny's gang completely falls apart as a result. If anything, the only real bittersweet element to it is that those directly involved are at least implicated. See WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue for details.]]

* HateSink: Johnny is a rare example of the main character being this, being the most unlikable of the main characters by far. He's arrogant, violent, rude, abusive, manipulative, and, oh yeah, he organized the '''murder''' of a ''[[WouldHurtAChild 15-year-old boy]]''.

It stars Emile Hirsch as Johnny Truelove, an impulsive and cocky PsychopathicManChild marijuana dealer living in the late '90s Southern California. Johnny, alongside best bud Frankie Ballenbacher (Music/JustinTimberlake), suckup Elvis Schmidt (Creator/ShawnHatosy), and a host of other friends and business associates, spends his day-to-day life partying, getting high, and generally living the hip-hop thug life he idealizes from music, movies, and video games, much to the dismay of Johnny's father, Sonny (Creator/BruceWillis). Where Johnny goes, the money, the friends, and the girls follow.

* BoomerangBigot: Jake Mazursky is a Jew, but he and his girlfriend appear to be neo-nazis, with several white supremacy tattoos on their bodies and a Hitler poster decorating his kitchen. Played for laughs more than anything, with her doing a Nazi salute while wearing a ModestyBedsheet when his (equally Jewish) brother Zack pays them a visit.

* VillainProtagonist: Johhny and his friends are the main characters, as well as drug dealing screw-ups who kidnap a teenage boy. Eventually, [[spoiler: they kill him.]]

** Same can pretty much also comply to Tiko, Keith, Elvis, and Frankie when they get arrested. See WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue for details.]]

** [[spoiler:However, assuming what happened to the RealLife criminals also applied to their film counterparts, this would mean that Frankie would be released on parole in 2013 and that Truelove never got the death penalty but is still serving life without parole. So while downplayed, this may somewhat be in effect.]]

* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: When Susan learns that Zack has been kidnapped, she immediately begins panicking and trying to make everyone understand how serious it is. Everyone else, ''including'' Zack, look at her like she's crazy, and go on hanging out like nothing's happened.

* AssholeVictim: Somewhat applies to Elvis once he realizes how much trouble he is in. He tries to beg Pick for help but Pick refuses to help him since he used his mom's car to drive to the area that he would be excecuting Zach at. Soon enough, Elvis is then cornered and arrested shortly after and is sentenced to Death Row. Given that he showed no mercy in killing Zach it's hard to feel sorry for him.

It stars Emile Hirsch as Johnny Truelove, an impulsive and cocky PsychopathicManChild marijuana dealer living in the late '90s Southern California. Johnny, alongside best bud Frankie Ballenbacher (Music/JustinTimberlake), suckup Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy), and a host of other friends and business associates, spends his day-to-day life partying, getting high, and generally living the hip-hop thug life he idealizes from music, movies, and video games, much to the dismay of Johnny's father, Sonny (Creator/BruceWillis). Where Johnny goes, the money, the friends, and the girls follow.