10 Devastating Film Deaths That Came Out Of Nowhere

6. Zack Mazursky - Alpha Dog

Alpha Dog isn't exactly considered a great, but Nick Cassavetes' true(ish) story of the kidnapping of Zack Mazursky is an entertaining watch and a fairly harrowing portrait of teenage hedonism and spiralling, needless conflict. It's most notable for the performances of Anton Yelchin and Justin Timberlake, and it deserves a lot more credit than it was afforded by critics at the time of its release.

Anyone familiar with the real life story of Mazursky would have known the tale didn't end well, but it was a fairly unknown story to international audiences, and there were enough audience members unaware of the devastating blow at the end to make it shocking.

Throughout the film we see Zack befriended by his kidnappers (including Timberlake's Frankie), ingratiated to his friends and the star of a party in his honour (which leads to a threesome in a pool). It's like a coming-of-age, teenage drama right up until the moment Zack is taken to a gravesite by paranoid Johnny (Emile Hirsch), reluctant Frankie and hired killer Elvis (Shawn Hatosy) - when his kidnappers fear reprive - and shot to death with a machine gun.

Given the way the film seems to be headed, the devastating, destructive final blow is horrifying.