Go
Yes, another film in the Pulp Fiction genre.
Is _Go_ good? Depends. If you loved _Pulp Fiction, then perhaps you'd like _Go_. Or come out disappointed. Or wonder how many plot twists from the latter were lifted from the former.
_Go_ details the events that occurred before and after a disastrous drug deal. The word "go" is, to my knowledge, uttered three times, at three significant points, meaning three different things. These three stories are told, within the same twenty-four hour time frame.
Because the stories are incredibly loony, with coincidences abounding, the film falls into the terrible trap of coming up with as many vices that could be conjured up within the small time frame. More than once, you hear one character say "Don't do this..." only to have it done later. For these moments, the film is predictable.
But to its credit, many of the plot twists are totally unprecedented. Kudos goes to William Fichtner, (great in _Contact_, terrible in _Armageddon_). His role is so well executed that when the punch line comes, it's from a totally unexpected track, that is both maddening and hysterical.
The same goes for the rest of the cast: not a stinker in the bunch. Katie Holmes and Sarah Polley show true star potential, far different from their previous work. Jason Flemyng has come a long way from _Scream 2_, as the heinous drug-dealer, who is as concerned with getting his fare share as how bad "Family Circus" is.
But because of its setup, you can't help but recognize how totally artificial the exercise is. Hear me out. Sarah Polley's character is being kicked out of her apartment. Christmas Day. And she works three shifts in a row to help make ends meet. Excuse me? And that's before the story kicks in. Suffice it to say, you can only wonder what got into the heads of Doug Limon (director) and John August (screenwriter) who have her go through much more, only to return to work the next day.
And what to make of the total role-reversal that Holmes' character goes through? She is kept at Flemyng's grungy apartment as bait, until Polley gets back. She is terrified of him. Later, she makes a series of decisions that contradict everything we had seen before.
_Go_ doesn't exist to fully make sense. It exists as a throwaway vehicle for its stars, all of which have a good future before them. It (thankfully) doesn't take itself seriously (the scene where the Macarena is playing is a prime example). So it's fun, and it's incredibly busy, even though the film in general doesn't follow the rules of ordinary logic.
Nick Scale (1 to 10): 7
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