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November 1999

Go
Reviewed by Doug Schneider
DVD Format

Overall Enjoyment: ****
Picture Quality: ***1/2
Sound Quality: ***
Packaged Extras: ****1/2

Starring Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes, Desmond Askew, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf, Taye Diggs

Directed by Doug Liman

Theatrical Release: 1991
DVD Release: 1999
Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen (Anamorphic)/Full Screen


When Go was released in the theaters earlier this year, it received, for the most part, enthusiastic critical praise; however, audiences’ reactions to the film were mixed. This reaction is not all that surprising given Go’s indebtedness to Pulp Fiction, a film that met with a similar response. Like Pulp Fiction, Go uses intertwining stories, quirky characters, and inspired dialogue to tell its tale. Despite the obvious inspiration, Go is not really a little brother to Pulp as some have insinuated. Doug Liman, the director of Go, was successful with his first feature film, Swingers. With Go he is even more successful. Go is a clever, sometimes hilarious movie that is thoroughly entertaining and rewarding.

Go shows the same 24-hour time frame from three different points of view. Sarah Polley plays Ronna Martin, an 18-year-old overworked checkout clerk in L.A. who doesn’t try to hide the fact that she’s bored, frustrated and only working to get the minimal amount of money her meager job pays. She reluctantly takes a shift from a fellow employee, Simon (Desmond Askew), who works on the side as a low-level drug dealer. While Ronna works in his place, he goes to Las Vegas with his friends. When two customers come looking to buy drugs from Simon, they find Ronna instead. She ends up climbing the drug-dealing food chain without authorization and becomes the target of both undercover cops in a sting operation and an angry drug dealer who wants her dead when she betrays him.

The second story takes place in Las Vegas, where Simon and his three friends encounter group sex, strippers, iodine-laced shrimp and an annoying little kid who won’t do what he’s told. The scenes in Vegas shift Go into high gear and present some of the funniest sequences in the movie. When two bridesmaids woo Simon into their room, the movie takes on a surreal and hypnotic feeling that is worth watching a few times -- "Tantra baby."

Part three is back in Los Angeles with two actors, Adam (Scott Wolf) and Zack (Jay Mohr), at the mercy of a vice cop trying to put the sting on Ronna. In this witty segment, nobody is who they seem to be.

Some say this movie appeals mainly to teenagers, but I disagree (or perhaps at heart I’m acting younger than my 35 years). What makes Go a winner is the way in which the complex stories are intertwined and clever dialogue is peppered throughout. Also, the film captures beautifully the confused and aggressive years of teenage life. I laughed out loud many times: first, when I saw the movie in the theater with a group of six friends, and again at home during four subsequent viewings. It is also worth mentioning that everyone I saw it with was over 30 and loved it too. It certainly won’t appeal to everyone, but it will appeal to young people and to those who enjoy stories that remind them of their youth.

The anamorphic video transfer is good in terms of remaining faithful to the original film, but it won’t look stellar on good video displays. I originally saw Go in the theater and noticed then that it was shot with a somewhat grainy look that helped to give it an edgy feel. Colors are either oversaturated or washed out depending on the particular mood of the story at a given moment. People looking for something pristine just won’t get it here. The sound is, unfortunately, only so-so. Again, this was likely inherent in the original film. Dynamics are compressed, and the bass and high-frequency response seem shelved off. The music (of which there is plenty) sounds like a poor recording from the '70s. There is no real dimension or depth. Surround effects are only used minimally.

On the other hand, the extras included here are outstanding. There are 14 deleted scenes, three music videos, production notes, a making-of feature, and information on the actors. I enjoyed the deleted scenes the most, particularly one that definitely should have been left in the film. It’s titled "porno and kid" and it illustrates more clearly why when in Vegas a young boy who was staying in the hotel room next to the four friends refuses to let them into his room despite the fact that they were being chased by bouncers. As for some of the other deleted scenes, they’re fun to see, but there were good reasons to leave them on the cutting-room floor.

All in all, Go is a very good DVD to own if you are into its genre of film. It is the type of movie I enjoyed watching a number of times, and I’m glad to have it around. Furthermore, the plentiful extras are rewarding for fans. Go buy it. And if you don’t buy it, definitely go rent it.

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