Go (1999)

Go! tells the story of the events after a drug deal, told from three different points of view.

Director:

Doug Liman

Writer:

John August

Stars:

Sarah Polley, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr

5 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Katie Holmes	...	Claire Montgomery
Sarah Polley	...	Ronna Martin
Suzanne Krull	...	Stringy Haired Woman
Desmond Askew	...	Simon Baines
Nathan Bexton	...	Mannie
Robert Peters	...	Switterman
Scott Wolf	...	Adam
Jay Mohr	...	Zack
Timothy Olyphant	...	Todd Gaines
Jodi Bianca Wise	...	Ballerina Girl
William Fichtner	...	Burke
Rita Bland	...	Dancing Register Woman
Tony Denman	...	Track Suit Guy
Scott Hass	...	Raver Dude
Natasha Melnick	...	Anorexic Girl

Storyline

Told from three perspectives, a story of a bunch of young Californians trying to get some cash, do and deal some drugs, score money and sex in Las Vegas, and generally experience the rush of life.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | drug deal | christmas | drug dealer | rave | 

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Taglines:

When the lights go down, the world is yours.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong drug content, sexuality, language and some violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 April 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Viviendo sin límites

Filming Locations:

L.A.P.D. Hollywood Station - 1358 Wilcox Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£481,471 (UK) (3 September 1999)

Gross:

£2,217,926 (UK) (1 October 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Banner Entertainment, Saratoga Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The letter X, or the figure X, is a recurring motif in the film-Malcolm X, Xerxes, X (=Ecstasy), Mary Xmas, Room siX-siXty of the Riviera, the X Simon draws on his arm as a target, at the end it's revealed that the rave was held in what is otherwise an XXX porn emporium.

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Goofs

When Adam is talking on the phone at Burke's house, the hand he's holding the phone in changes from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Tiny: Yo, I told you, my mother's mother's mother was black!
Marcus: Your mother's mother's mother, f*** - this ain't "Roots", mutha... Man, I wanna see a picture of this Nubian princess. If you were any less black, you would be clear.

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Crazy Credits

Alley Cat... Princess Leah Lucky Buttons

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Connections

Spoofed in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
Arranged by Carmen Dragon
Performed by Starlite Pop Orchestra
Courtesy of Madacy Entertainment
Under license from Madacy Special Markets

User Reviews

A wonderful wild ride; sometimes too clever, sometimes not enough

"Go" reads like a very very good sophomore offering by a very very good up-and-coming director. You can almost see a bright future for everyone involved in the film, from the director (Doug Liman) to the screenwriter (John August) to all of the young actors. The script is clearly the winner, with witty dialogue and a convoluted plotline (or plotlines, depending on how you view it) centered around a dozen or so GenX-er Los Angelenos on Christmas Eve. The film slickly moves you from one plotline to the next, as you follow one minor disaster leading to other minor disasters.

The film being a "sophomore offering," of course, has some drawbacks. Yes, it is tangentially derivative of "Pulp Fiction." And yes, it does scrounge a bit from this teen flick and that. In some cases, certain plotlines wrap up too neatly, and in other cases the plotlines don't converge nearly as neatly enough. But what the film may lack in originality it certainly makes up for with style and quirks.

The real discovery in all this is the cast. Sarah Polly stands out (listen to her mild Canadian accent slip through once in a while) as the world-weary checkout gal who's first and only foray into drug-dealing unleashes a legion of trouble for her. Desmond Askew (wonderfully punny name) is this Pulp Fiction's Tim Roth, glib and cocky as his well-ordered world whirls and crumbles around him in a neatly choreographed disaster. As the sinister drug supplier, Timothy Olyphant is particularly menacing, exuding equal amounts of danger and innocence, sexiness and insecurity. The characters in "Go" never become cardboard parodies of themselves, and they never dissolve into charicatures of themselves for the sake of plot or atmosphere.

So watch the film, soak in the plot, atmosphere, and the characters. At the risk of sounding glib myself, by all means "Go."