Go (1999)

The unmistakable influence of Pulp Fiction (1994) can be seen quite clearly in this ensemble piece that interconnects three different stories which all start at an L.A. supermarket. There's one about a girl trying to sell ecstasy at a rave, another about four guys out for a wild weekend in Las Vegas and a third about the strange events surrounding two actors coerced into working as undercover cops. While it would be fair to say that the stories on their own are fairly slight, they do nevertheless work very well as a whole and do fit together well with various overlaps between the episodes. It benefits from having a good cast at its disposal, with Sarah Polley and William Fichtner especially standing out as, respectively, Ronna the supermarket girl would tries to make money selling drugs and Burke the police agent who hosts a very uncomfortable house gathering.The material is partially played for thrills but often more for laughs, with this being a comedy as much as anything. The balance is pretty good although it perhaps gets a little excessively too silly on occasion, dissipating the tension. The film is also notable for seemingly being perhaps the first Hollywood movie which addressed the topic of the drug ecstasy. As is typical in the movies it does essentially ultimately suggest that drugs are bad, although it isn't too heavy-handed in its approach to this and it is at least fairly balanced in its approach. Accompanying things is a pretty dynamic and well selected electronica soundtrack which gives the movie a real energy while marking it out as pleasingly 90's. I think overall this one seems to have gone under the radar a little but it's really a lot of fun to watch (and re-watch). It's got a lot of entertaining ingredients after all – a rave, recreational drugs, gangsters, hot strip club action, a car chase, big beat tunes, witty dialogue, sexual tension, an uncomfortable party, non-linear storytelling and a violent accident. All of the parts add up to a highly enjoyable whole, a film to simply sit back and appreciate.

Might appear dated now, but Doug 'Bourne identity' 'Edge of tomorrow' 'Mr./Mrs. Smith' 'Swingers' Liman has such a firm grip on the narrative, all the way through, that this one almost acts as the template-setter for everything that came after, in spite of its superlow budget, that is evident. And no, this is not a 'Clerks' or a 'Mallrats' wannabe, though the supermarket kinda connects our main characters. The trope, as tropes go, follows different paths taken by various lead characters from 2 points in the plot, 1, that sets things off, and the other, that acts as kind of a pre-climax of sorts, if that makes sense (it will, when you watch it). However, this is not just a post Pulp Fiction piecing together gimmick. It helps that said gimmick is help by solid narrative set- pieces, like the one where Katie Holmes' and Timothy Olyphant's characters get together accidentally (for the 2nd time) when Holmes lets loose, for the first time in the flick, followed by the recurring, consistent way Taye Diggs' character's jacket becomes a plot-twist, and the dinner scene at William Fichtner's place (fanta- hilarious), the scene with X marking the spot for some delayed revenge etc. Anyways, was a nice blast-from-the-past kinda experience, which has more in common with Liman's own 'Swingers' and Favreau's 'Made' (both of them with Vaughn and Favreau). Sarah Polley, Gordon-Levitt wannabe Desmond Askew, Timothy Olyphant, Taye Diggs, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolff, William Fichtner, Melissa McCarthy, Breckin Meyer, Jane Krakowski, the vastly underrated JE Freeman etc. have all had their own paths (with Polley even helming great movies), but this is a good one to watch to remember what they were once a part of (in a good way). Worth multiple viewings....even the deleted scenes actually should have been part of the flick....maybe a future complete-cut??

This fast-paced, inventive ensemble comedy from '99 has held up very well. In light of later developments, especially on cable, the timeshifting, "Pulp Fiction"-like structure seems less obtrusive and gimmicky than it did back in the day. Each of the interlocking episodes takes off from the same event, which we see several times over—a cash-strapped supermarket clerk takes a shift for a co-worker, who happens to be a retail drug dealer. Consequences, for three different sets of characters, include a shambolic roadtrip to Vegas, a shooting in a strip club with threatened retaliation, an ironic car chase, a BF left with a higher-level dealer as collateral for a drug buy, and a queasy-making dinner party hosted by a pair of narco cops. There's lots of chaos and violence, but it's cartoon violence, basically, and nobody's much the worse for it (triple-shifting Ronna gets hit by a car and left for dead, but she's back at her register on Monday). Every episode includes at least one really good time-release sightgag; to spoil just two—when Taye Diggs, as one of the roadtrippers, puts on a spiffy blazer in a casino, a guy gives him a tip in the men's room; at the casino enrance another guy tosses him the keys to his car… Smart, casual dialogue, not as self-conscious as in "Pulp Fiction"; my favorite line is a throwaway diss of the comic strip "Family Circus." Commendable cast includes Sarah Polley, playing it tough, as Ronna, Katie Holmes (she's good!) as the BF, a baby-faced Timothy Olyphant as the dealer, plus Jay Mohr as a TV actor in jeopardy; great to see a dewy young Jane Krakowski and Melissa McCarthy in lesser roles. Turns up on a cable a lot; available on disk from Netflix.

I see that this movie came out in 1999, but I don't remember it coming out on the big screens? I bought the DVD on Amazon and loved the movie, I guess because I am a huge William Fichtner fan. The movie is different in a way because it has three separate stories, involving four different character's from the movie. Even though there are three separate stories of the individual's it all connect's in the end. In the first story we have a Ronnin who is short on rent money and if she doesn't come up with something to make a quick money will be thrown out of her apartment. She hooks up with a drug dealer, she scores the cash, but D***S him over. When he finds out he shows up at a rave where she's at, he finds he and confronts her. Her story ends when she accidentally gets hit by a car.The next story is about Simion the British guy, who gets to go with his friends to Las Vegas. All is going well with his buds, until, he and Taye Diggs character decide to go to a strip club called The Crazy Horse.. Taye Digg's character warned him order anything U want except Champaign-means private dance.When the ladies come over to greet them Simon gets stupid and asks for the most expensive bottle of Champaign. Simon gets his private dance and more than he bargained for. The rules the girls can touch U but U can't touch the girls. The rule gets broken, things get out of hand and Simon pulls out a gun and shoots a bouncer. When this happens the whole gang gets involved and are trying to get the hell out of Vegas, because they are wanted. This was an OK story, but in reality very unrealistic.The third about Adam and Zack is the best, it's about to actor's who are used as pawns to catch a drug dealer in the act of selling. Adam and Zack go along with it because an offense will be expunged from their record if all goes as planned. They met up with Burke, a cop or ex-cop who still has connections to the department. We then realize the 1st and 3rd stories come together, in the end. Then the 2nd story ties in with some of the characters in the 1st story.I hope this review is helpful, it is hard to explain a movie like this. To me it is a good movie, to rent, or one to buy if the price is right. The only drawback it might have is yes it is unrealistic, but most movies are. This movie is one to watch when U had a hard day/busy one and just want to chill 4 about 2 hours.It does have it's comedic side to it, but for those that do not like several stories told in one movie, even though they all connect in the end; this would not be for you. THX, -Kris L. CocKayne-