I’m not entirely sure what to make of the new film Alpha Dog. On the one hand it is a visceral and hard-hitting dramatic crime tragedy showcasing a surprisingly forceful performance by singing star Justin Timberlake. On the other, the film is a vile and disgusting gutter-level docudrama, director John Cassavetes (The Notebook, John Q) so intent on showcasing the ugly he forgets to add the emotional human element which could have made the film relevant and powerful.

Which leaves me at a bit of a loss. For all the brouhaha this picture has generated since its debut at Sundance last year (including a recent attempt by Jesse James Hollywood to stop its theatrical release via lawsuit), by the time all is said and done there isn’t too much more here than what we’ve seen before. Yet there is a potency to some of the performances and a visceral starkness to a few of the images that are undeniable, a potency to some of it that makes Alpha Dog a head-scratching mixed bag no matter which way you choose to look at it.

Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) is a headstrong youth living the good life as a mid-level drug dealer in Los Angeles working for his noted gangster father Sonny (Bruce Willis). Johnny has assembled a tight-knit group of friends, wannabes, tag-alongs, suck-ups and groupies he revels in, sure no one and nothing can touch either him or his world in any way whatsoever.

But after he humiliates the combustible Jake (Ben Foster) for not paying his bills, the young man’s lifestyle is put in serious jeopardy. Not only does the former employee suddenly want his boss’ blood, Jake goes so far as to kidnap the guy’s little brother Zack (Anton Yelchin). Suddenly events spiral out of control, and what first looks like a silly idea to make a point devolves into something horrible. With the police closing in, Johnny orders carefree best friend Frankie (Timberlake) and the combustible Elvis (Shawn Hatosy) to take the kid into the desert, silencing their problems before they have a chance to explode.

Inspired by the true story of the aforementioned Hollywood (the youngest man ever to appear on the FBI’s ten most wanted list), Alpha Dog is another entry in the rich-kids-doing-bad-things genre much like Thumbsucker or The Chumscrubber. The difference here? The kids here aren’t exactly likeable, Cassavetes dropping viewers right in the middle of their depravity without any pretense or subtlety whatsoever. It’s all so very nihilistic, the extreme boozing, whoring, snorting and blood-letting more than a bit disconcerting.

And yet, once Zack is taken the film somehow finds its balance and becomes shockingly alive and emotional. The honest good-natured friendship that slowly bonds between the young kid and the older Frankie feels real and genuine, the three days they spend together sampling a debauched lifestyle both amusing and surprisingly touching. Zack’s eyes are opened to a world unlike any he’s ever known, the never-ending party atmosphere generated by Frankie and his compatriots as seductive as anything the kid has ever encountered.

Which makes it all the more unfortunate when the trip to the desert finally occurs. I wanted to be appalled; horrified that Frankie could ever let himself carry out the coming acts. I wanted to cry; Zack’s sudden pain and overwhelming sorrow over what is probably about to happen transferred to my consciousness to experience first-hand. But this didn’t happen, not for a single second, and by the time the camera drifted up to watch the moon shine down upon a dusty desert plateau I was more than a bit disappointed.

That things do work for as long as they do is a testament to Cassavetes superb cast. From veterans like Willis, Sharon Stone (who gives her best performance in ages) and Harry Dean Stanton, to relative newcomers like Hirsch, Foster, Hatosy and Yelchin, the acting here is razor sharp. Everyone is on their game, almost all allowed a dazzling moment that’s remarkably unexpected. Cassavetes, disappointing body of work or no, has always shown an assuredly delicate hand with his actors, and while the film can’t help but rate as another near-miss for the filmmaker he certainly doesn’t strike out there.

Which goes double in the case of Timberlake. I’m not a huge fan of the singing star. Sure his songs are somewhat catchy and his dance moves are impressive, but I have never been the girl gobbling up the *NSYNC discs or grooving in a club to “Sexy Back.” Yet he is remarkable in this, popping off the screen with a performance as dynamic and compelling as any I’m likely to see this coming year.

It’s a fantastic, multilayered portrait that borders on the haunting, and when Frankie finally gets his comeuppance he does so with a resigned emotional heartbreak that’s evocatively devastating. You want this kid to change, want him to give into his friendship with Zack and not do what’s been asked of him. Timberlake makes all of this confusion and complexity palpable, and for all my knocks against his bubblegum pop songs I’m more than willing to take my hat off to him here.

In fact, it is Frankie’s story that almost makes me want to recommend Alpha Dog even with all my reservations. Unfortunately, I just can’t do it. Cassavetes never paints a compelling enough picture to warrant either my interest or my sympathies on a universal level. For the most part, these kids – including Johnny – are just as big enigmas by the end as they were at the very start. There is a distinct failure on the part of the filmmaker to get under the majority of this group’s skins, the only reason any of them make the impression they do thanks almost entirely to the actor inhabiting the roll.

And so I am at a loss. Part of me admires the picture enough that I can’t tell an interested party not to go, while another can’t get past the myriad of problems weighing down the production to call it even remotely worthwhile. In the end, the only thing I can’t stop thinking about is Timberlake and the look on his face as reality hits him while standing in the middle of the street. It’s an unforgettably poignant moment, one that caused me to shed a tear and powerful enough to make me weep for the Alpha Dog that might have been.

Film Rating: êê  (out of 4)