A fictionalized version (The E! True Hollywood Story did 2 hours on the case), "Alpha Dog" is based on Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who was the youngest person ever to be placed on the FBI's Most Wanted List.* "Alpha Dog" is a nasty yet realistically compelling piece of hardcore work. The ensemble acting is terrific with often maligned Justin Timberlake not only holding his own, but showing strong cinematic charisma. And JT has a loose approach to acting that is very naturalistic. He was perfect. He has a film career if he wants to stop dancing.

Then there is Ben Foster creating a character that inherits the mantle of Malcolm McDowell's Alex De Large ("A Clockwork Orange"), De Niro's "Johnny Boy" (from "Mean Streets") and Robert Carlyle's "Begbie" (from "Trainspotting.") Foster was mesmerizing.

Sharon Stone! You are back! And bravely playing a real person. Hooray! Stone has finally come out of her career coma after riding high for 20 years on one performance ("Basic Instinct.")

Cassavetes redeems himself and I forgive him for "The Notebook." He has written a tough, dialogue thick-and-true script. And he has bravely given unproven Timberlake a terrific showcase. (Timberlake's other film roles have been shipped straight to video. If only Ashton Kutcher would find a Quentin Tarantino or Joe Carnahan to bestow a manly career on him. Does Kutcher really think it is cool to be known to Demi's kid's as "MOD: My Other Dad"?)

In 1999, in Claremont, California, a group of pot-smoking kids -- many of them from affluent families -- are run like a South L.A. gang by a teenage drug lord named Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch). Truelove has designated one teen as his whipping-boy, Elvis (Shawn Hatosy). Elvis takes all the abuse Truelove and the other guys throw at him -- mostly gay taunts. Like the gangsters (or the S.S.) they are trying to emulate, Elvis would do anything to prove his loyalty to Truelove. Frankie (Timberlake) is a rich kid/thug enjoying the fun of being part of Truelove's crew.

Ultra-violent Jack Mazursky (Ben Foster) is on parole, still on meth, and working for Truelove. A deal has gone bad and he owes Truelove money. Mazursky has a whipped father, Butch (David Thornton), and a rightfully disgusted stepmother, Olivia (Sharon Stone). They refuse to lend him any more money. He also has an innocent 15-year-old half-brother Zack (Anton Yelchin). When Mazursky can't pay Truelove, and in spite breaks into his house, steals his flat-screen TV, and defecates on the rug, Truelove and his boys, looking for Mazursky, happen upon Zack. They throw him in a van and hold him -- much to his thrill -- as a hostage.

The plan is to hold Zack until Mazursky pays up. Truelove gives Zack to Frankie to baby-sit. Zack is quickly infatuated with the girls, the dope, and the wild parties. He doesn't want to go home as the days slip by. Zack becomes a mascot to Frankie's Palm Springs friends. Zack doesn't call home and Olivia becomes frantic. The police are called in and flyers blanket the neighborhood. It's a kidnapping now.

Since readers so often complain about reviewers giving away too much of the story, I'll end here. Just so you know: There is no happy ending.

Is there one for Mazursky? Cassavetes only misstep is to leave this potent character drop off. What happened to him? He was so riveting that to ignore him -- once we have invested so much pleasure in his ultra-violent, bizarre personality -- is a mistake. We noticed he was missing.

Sharon Stone is in a fat suit! Cassavetes has seen as many 48 Hours shows as I have. It was perfect. It is exactly the way it happens. Cassavetes and Stone even used the cruel close-ups producers insist on when interviewing real people. If you are fat, it's a producer's money shot. (Real people get Interrogation Lighting. Celebrities get Cosmetic Peach filters). Lastly, Bruce Willis, who plays Sonny Truelove without a false note, is a joy to watch. Willis can take a small part, I'm thinking of his "Fast Food Nation" cameo, and make you want his character starring in the movie.

Cassavetes - who knew he had a tough gutter side? Wasn't he raised by New York/Hollywood royalty? He's found his true calling, and I'm saying this as a person whose mother died of Alzheimer's.

(We at zboneman.com are excited to welcome the prolific and multi-talented writer Victoria Alexander to our staff. Critic for http://www.filmsinreview.com/ and pundit and humorist responsible for the candid and fearlessly funny "The Devil's Hammer," her column appears every Monday on http://fromthebalcony.com. Start off your week with a good hard laugh. It's a thrill to have her on board. Victoria Alexander answers every email and can be contacted directly at masauu@aol.com.)