Alpha Dog is a 2007 crime rama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, and released on January 12, 2007. The film is based on the true story of the kidnapping and subsequent events of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz in 2000, and the alleged involvement of Jesse James Hollywood, a young drug dealer in California. The film stars Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin with Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis.