Alpha Dog is a 2006 American crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. It was first screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2006, with a wide release the following year on January 12, 2007. The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Anton Yelchin, Christopher Marquette, Olivia Wilde, and Amanda Seyfried with Harry Dean Stanton, Sharon Stone, and Bruce Willis.