GO Cast: Sarah Polley, Desmond Askew, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf ,Taye Diggs, William Fichtner, J.E. Freeman, Katie Holmes, Timothy Olyphant Director: Doug Liman Screenplay: John August Reviewed by Luke Buckmaster
On the Buckmaster scale of 0 stars (bomb), to 5 stars (a masterpiece): 5 stars
Ronna: I need a favor. Todd: Wow, I didn't know we'd become such good friends, because if we had, you'd know that I give head before I give favors, and I don't even give my best friends head so your chances of getting a favor are pretty slim.
Out of nowhere comes filmmaker Doug Liman's 'Go', a movie that contains almost everything that Generation X moviegoers tend to fetish over: zany characters, hilarious conversations, unpredictable scenarios and a blazingly fast pace. Liman worked with a script from debut screenwriter John August, and it's a screenplay that is tight, well rounded and beautifully integrated. It's also masterfully manipulated by Liman, who makes a film that is terrifically entertaining and immediately intriguing. In other words, 'Go' is one hellava time at the movies.
Why do critics and viewers persist in comparing films like 'Go' to 'Pulp Fiction', even though it was made over four years ago? It seems that nowadays these kinds of films will inevitably be contrasted to Tarantino's work whenever their characters delve into meaningless conversations about such things as foot massages or cheeseburgers, or when the use of guns become outrageous pieces of black comedy, or even when a film's narrative doesn't follow a chronological flow. 'Go' implements all these things, this time delivered by a young cast, who give a fresh, youthful feel to the genre.
Todd: You come to me out of the blue asking to buy twenty hits of ecstasy, twenty being the magic number at which intent to sell becomes trafficking? Ronna: Todd I would never fuck you like that. Todd: How would you fuck me?
The story is separated into three distinct sections, each based around a character's perception of the events that take place. The first - and probably the best - revolves around Ronna (Sarah Polley), who works as a supermarket checkout and is under threat of being evicted from her home unless she produces some serious dough fast. So, she plans to sell twenty hits of ecstasy to Adam (Scott Wolf) and Marcus (Taye Diggs), who are friends of Simon (Desmond Askew), one of Ronna's fellow supermarket employees. The deal goes awry and Ronna is forced to make money by ripping off people at a rave, with surprising results. The second part of the story centers around Simon and his friends as they create havoc in Las Vegas, Simon especially having the time of his life before landing himself into danger.
Simon's friend: Just so we're clear, you stole a car, shot a bouncer, and had sex with two women?
The third section, more relaxed in pace and tone than the others, regards Adam and Marcus, and a rather peculiar Christmas dinner in which they dine with a strange policeman and his wife, whose absurd motives for having them over gradually become evident. Katie Holmes, of 'Dawson's Creek' fame, also has a part as Ronna's best friend Claire. All cast members contribute energetic and thoroughly entertaining performances, especially the gorgeous Sarah Polley, who stunned audiences in Atom Egoyan's 'The Sweet Hereafter.' Each actor gets at least one hilarious and memorable moment.
'Go' is equipped with electric editing, paced to the rhythmic beat of a rave. It's the closest thing to a cinematic equivalence of Ecstasy that I've ever seen - Go is vigorous, upbeat and bordering on the edge of brilliance; it's a Rockefeller Shank of a movie, powered by a script that unfolds like clockwork and direction that's virtually seamless. Intricately plotted and visually breathtaking, 'Go' is a great way to spend a couple of hours at the movies, with a breadth of quirky characters who always make you feel like you're in good company. My favorite movie so far in 1999 boasts a pulsating effectiveness in all production aspects, and achieves a feat that some of the early efforts of Tarantino also accomplished - it's an instant classic of the genre.
Todd: Ronna, I just gave you a favor. Ronna: Here and I just thought you gave me head.
Read more of my reviews at In Film Australia http://infilmau.iah.net
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