Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Alpha Dog Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 28, 2023

Mill Creek has released the 2006 film 'Alpha Dog,' written and directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis, Ben Foster, Sharon Stone, and Emile Hirsh, to Blu-ray. The film was first released to Blu-ray by Universal in 2010 and also by Icon Productions in the UK in 2006. I did not review, nor do I have access to, either of those discs. However, this release appears to favorably compare to the Universal issue, though it does introduce some compression and banding issues that were not noted in the Universal review and which are typical of Mill Creek Blu-ray output. Both the Universal and the Icon releases contained one supplement which is not included here.

They grew up together in the suburbs of LA, living their own version of the American dream, with every day a blur of partying and looking for the next thrill. Johnny (Emile Hirsch) is the leader in their sordid world of drugs, greed, power and privilege. But when he is double-crossed by another dealer, things quickly begin to spiral out of control, and an impulsive kidnapping leads to a shocking conclusion. Justin Timberlake, Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis co-star in this powerful and controversial film.

For full film reviews, please click here for Casey Broadwater's take on the film and here for Dr. Svet Atanasov's take. My perspective falls more in-line with Svet on this one, but Casey offers a solid and much more positive write-up that is well worth a read.

Alpha Dog Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Alpha Dog generally looks solid enough, but as with many Mill Creek releases closer inspection reveals some issues. The image is not always plagued by severe banding and compression artifacts, but such do come into play, and severely, at a few points throughout the film, notably around the 30-32-minute mark where lower light nighttime interiors and a low light daytime interior to follow show both banding and macroblocking in fairly significant quantities. I cannot state for certain if the same may be said of the Universal and Icon releases, but I would venture to guess that, no, those issues are not in play at this point in the film on those discs, at least not to this level of severity; neither review mentions significant issues. Fortunately, these issues do not dominate the film. Overall, it looks fairly good, offering adequately clear and well-defined details that show off facial and clothing details with sufficient ease. The picture is not super sharp, and neither is it super soft and flat. It's a routinely crisp image that speaks to a midlevel Blu-ray and a midlevel production. Much the same may be said of the color grading. The image is not too terribly bold and brilliant, lacking vividness and vitality, but there is enough depth and tonal accuracy on display to satisfy essential requirements. Skin tones look fine, black levels never stray too far from a good and deep appearance, and whites are suitably crisp. This is hardly a showstopper of a Blu-ray, but it serves the material well enough.

Alpha Dog Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mill Creek brings Alpha Dog to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is more than adequate for the film, offering good spaciousness to music and ambience, offering both in front-heavy postures but not without some surround wrap to help balance things out. The clarity to musical beats is solid, and the accompanying low-end response adds some necessary depth to the proceedings. The stage enjoys some good essential spacing to ambient support, and various action elements play with impressive prominence, precise stage placement, and a tangible oomph. Dialogue is always clear, center positioned, and nicely prioritized for the duration.

Alpha Dog Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Alpha Dog contains no supplemental content. Both the Universal and UK discs linked above contained a "making-of." No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Alpha Dog Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dr. Atanasov nicely summarizes the Alpha Dog viewing experience when he writes, "it is the type of film I find revealing but in the larger scheme of things pointless as it effectively glorifies more of what it attempts to dismiss." The film is certainly troubled, but it is also a vivid portrait of troubled lives in a troubled world. It's a difficult film to watch for its extreme yet seemingly accurate depiction of modern youth and urban life, but it lacks serious depth and the sort of immersion that the best in the genre, like the vastly superior Boyz n the Hood, have to offer. Mill Creek's featureless Blu-ray offers satisfactory video and audio. Recommended to fans, but at time of writing the Universal disc is still on the market and sells for a lower price.