It's hard to believe that The Notebook and Alpha Dog (Universal) were directed by the same guy, Nick Cassavetes. These two movies couldn't possibly be more different. Whereas The Notebook is based on the best-selling Nicholas Sparks novel, Alpha Dog is based on real events, and the sweetness and sentimentality of the former gives way to grit, violence and rough language in the new film, which opens Jan. 12 on 1,200 screens.

Since its premiere at Sundance, Alpha Dog, starring Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, Shawn Hatosy and Sharon Stone, has been caught up in legal hell. The film is based on the real-life murder of a 15-year-old California teenager in 2000. The "mastermind" of the murder, 26-year-old Jesse James Hollywood, has yet to go to trial, and his attorneys have made the case that the film would bias jurors in Santa Barbara County, where the case will be heard. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the accused killer's plea to block the film's release more or less at the last minute, on Jan. 10.

Alpha Dog falls into an interesting film subgenre. Call it "Kids with No Moral Compass." The 1986 film River's Edge, starring Keanu Reeves and Crispin Glover, is a good example. The premise of that film is that a kid kills his girlfriend, shows the body to his friends, and then nobody reports the murder. But the "king" of this subgenre is Larry Clark. His 1995 film Kids dealt with an amoral HIV-positive skateboarder who decides to deflower as many virgins as he can. Then came Clark's Bully, in which several kids decide to kill a high school antagonizer. They commit murder with a nonchalance that is completely unsettling.

Cassavetes, the son of legendary filmmaker John Cassavetes and Oscar nominee Gena Rowlands, introduces us to a world of small-time drug dealers in the San Fernando Valley. Names have been changed: Emile Hirsch (Lords of Dogtown) plays Johnny Truelove, the film's stand-in for Jesse James Hollywood. Truelove and his "boys" are all about getting high, dealing weed and partying. Their lives are defined by a thuggish bravado that feels all too real.

Ben Foster (Six Feet Under) plays a drug addict named Jake who owes Truelove money. When he can't the amount that's owed from his parents, his disagreement with Truelove escalates. Truelove and his gang kidnap Jake’s younger brother, played by Anton Yelchin. This sets the stage for tragedy.

The film features an impeccable cast. Hirsch is the brooding center of the movie, and he's a very strong lead. Also especially good are Justin Timberlake who plays Truelove's main sidekick, Frankie. Mr. SexyBack is the real deal. He can act. Shawn Hatosy, who was fantastic in the Showtime movie Soldier's Girl, is also terrific as the most pliable member of Truelove's gang. Also, Anton Yelchin (great as a kid in Hearts in Atlantis with Anthony Hopkins) is excellent here as the sweet kidnapped brother who ends up brutally slain.

As I watched the story unfold, I actually thought about getting up to leave. The murder that is obviously coming is among the most brutal and shocking I've ever seen on film. There is a moment between Justin Timberlake and Anton Yelchin that is so painful and so twisted that I could almost not bear to watch it. I stayed, of course, but it's a hard movie to take, and it'll stay with you for a couple of days.

For a second consecutive film, Sharon Stone is brilliant. She was terrific as a faded beauty shop stylist in Bobby (MGM/Weinstein), and now she bares her soul again as the mother who loses her precious son. The filmmakers use some staggeringly good makeup to flash forward in one scene and show her character as a broken woman whose life was destroyed the day her son died. After Stone's ridiculous turn in Basic Instinct 2, it's great to see her playing roles that suit her. She's a 50s-ish woman, still beautiful, but she's no longer the steamy sexpot of days gone by. I hope that she continues to play characters that are closer to her actual age, and I hope she continues to do it this well.

I have a feeling that Alpha Dog is going to connect with a younger audience. The language and violence are both rough (this is a very strong R), but Timberlake has a huge following, and this movie is on the MTV crowd's radar screen. It's a movie that I strongly recommend, but, despite lighter moments, it's a hard one to watch. Sadly, I think that there are kids like this in every corner of the country who lack any sort of moral compass, or any strong parental figures. That may be the darkest realization that I came to while watching Nick Cassavetes's Alpha Dog.

Fantasy Moguls Lowdown on Alpha Dog:
Original FantasyMoguls.com projections for Alpha Dog were for $18 million in box office, 4.1 IMDb User Rating score, 2 Top 5 points and 0 PTA points. Based on a review of the movie, release plan and updated tracking information, here are Steve's revised projections:
Box Office: $26 million
IMDb User Rating Score: 7.3
Top 5: 3
PTA: 2